Blaze causes extensive damage to Kingscourt Enterprise Centre

A major fire which broke out in the Kingscourt Enterprise Centre in the early hours of yesterday morning caused extensive damage to the premises.

Emergency services were alerted to the blaze at premises on the Kells Road, Kingscourt, at 2.30am on Wednesday morning.

Fire brigades from from Kingscourt, Bailieborough, and Virginia fought the blaze in difficult, blustery conditions throughout the night to bring it under control.

The blaze has had an impact on local businesses. The Play Centre an indoor children's play area in the vicinity said in a Facebook post that "due to a serious fire in adjoining buildings The Play Centre will remain closed until the damage can be assessed. "

Cllr Clifford Kelly said the blaze will leave several businesses without a premises for the foreseeable future.

"Two thirds of the building is destroyed and it has had an impact on seven local businesses. A lot of valuable equipment has been destroyed from a range of business including engineering firms, a classic car shop, a physio as well as a hair an nail salon, who will all have nowhere to go for now. The fire was so intense it warped the girders and the damaged portion of the building will have to be torn down."

The site is currently closed off while as authorities try to identify the cause of the blaze and an assessor is also set to visit the site soon to figure out the extent of the damage that was caused.

Cllr Kelly also spoke of the devastation that the fire has caused the wider community in the Kingscourt area. "It was a community space people in the area did a lot of fundraising to the help build it, so we're very hurt to see this happen."