The company whose warehouse was destroyed after hundreds of tonnes of chemicals caught fire at Little Island, Co Cork, last night has said the blaze presented no risk to public health.
An investigation has begun into the cause of the fire.
Nine teams of fire fighters fought the blaze for more than three hours before they brought it under control.
A twisted shell of buckled metal was all that remained of the Protim Abrasives warehouse today.
The building was gutted, the roof collapsed and one of the side walls imploded due to the intense heat generated by last night's blaze.
The alarm was raised just after 7pm yesterday evening, but by the time firefighters from Cork city and county arrived on scene minutes later, flames were already coming from the windows, doors and roof.
The fire raged out of control for over three hours and sent plumes of thick black smoke hundreds of feet into the air.
Fire fighters attacked the flames from the ground and from two specialist platforms 24m in the air.
The fire was brought under control at around 11pm last night.
This morning, fire fighters remained at the scene.
Senior executives of the company in Ireland were among the first to examine the damage.
They praised the emergency services and said they hoped to have their business in Cork operational again quickly.
The fire has also caused concern locally.
Sources in the fire service say, however, they do not believe there was a risk to public health.
Fire fighters have spent the night pouring tens of thousands of gallons of water into the burning building.
The temperature inside has dropped considerably and a forensic examination has begun to establish the cause of the blaze.
