Man is injured in gas blast at Trim restaurant

A Chinese man who received extensive burns after two gas cylinders exploded at a rear of a Trim restaurant has been transferred to St James's Hospital in Dublin. Two separate investigations - by Gardai and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) - are underway into the circumstances of the explosion, which occurred at the Marigold Chinese Restaurant, Emmet Street, Trim, at around 11.30pm last Wednesday, 18th November. The man, who was an employee, was standing in proximity to the gas cylinders when they suddenly caught fire, leaving him with serious burns. Staff members raised the alarm and called the emergency services. The man received extensive burns to his face, head, chest and arms and was taken by ambulance initially to Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, for treatment but was transferred to St James's Hospital, Dublin, on Monday. It is understood that his injuries are not life-threatening. Trim Fire Service were quickly on the scene where they found the two cylinders at the rear of the premises on fire. Navan Fire Service also backed up their colleagues from Trim on the scene. As there was no immediate threat of the fire spreading to the building, the protocol is to keep the gas cylinders cool and allow the fire to burn out, which took approximately half an hour. While some plaster was knocked off the back wall of the restaurant, the fire was contained and no other damage was caused to the premises. Fire personnel remained on the scene until 1.20am. The scene was preserved by Gardai for a technical examination, which was carried out by the Divisional Scenes of Crime Unit on Thursday morning. The HSA was also notified about the incident and a spokesperson confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation. A HSA inspector has already carried out an examination of the scene. The investigation is ongoing and the spokesperson could not say when it would be concluded.