Residents at a west Dublin apartment complex where a fire broke out yesterday have described the hurried evacuation from their homes.
Both the apartment building and the neighbouring Crowne Plaza hotel were evacuated while the fire brigade attended the scene and a number of families were not allowed to return to their homes overnight.
No injuries were reported.
A fire officer with Dublin Fire Brigade said it is understood the fire began on a balcony on the eighth floor of the building and caused extensive damage to the apartment.
Keith Markey said some other apartments were also severely damaged by smoke, but the damage was mainly contained to the building's exterior and the interior safety systems seemed to work well.
Five flights of stairs
Carla Kenna was with her three young children in their apartment when the fire alarm went off.
Heavily pregnant she brought the three-year-old twins and a one-year-old down five flights of stairs.
Ms Kenna, who is scheduled for a C-section tomorrow, stayed in a hotel with her children last night.
"It's just really stressful," she said.
"Hopefully they might let us back in soon to some apartments. But I don't know, it doesn’t look great.
"They put us up in the Carlton Hotel. We’ll be staying there tonight and then I don't know after that.
"It’s devastating, I can't even bring my babies home at the moment."
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'It kept spreading and spreading'
Stacey Nolan and Ryan Maher were taking their children, aged five and one, for dinner when they heard about the fire.
They returned to the complex to see smoke billowing out of their neighbours apartment.
"We knew if it was getting in there it was more than likely getting into ours too," Ms Nolan said.
The fire was spreading up, she said.
"It kept spreading and spreading, then six fire bridges came, then ambulance and police and we knew it was serious," Ms Nolan added.
They were allowed into their apartment at 11pm last night to get the baby's pram.
Stacey said their five-year-old son was "petrified" and they were trying to keep everything normal for him.
He had no clothes so went to school in his pyjamas this morning.
'Cracking sounds'
Kiowa Daly and his girlfriend live in the apartment below the one where the fire started.
He said he heard cracking sounds and saw some ash falling from the apartment above his, shortly before the alarm went off.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said they left quickly when the alarm sounded and they could see that the balcony of the apartment above them was in flames and the fire seemed to spread quickly to the two floors above it.
"From our viewpoint it all happened very quickly," he said, and described the situation as scary.
Mr Daly said that his girlfriend and mother were allowed to pick up some belongings from their apartment late last night, because they have not been allowed return.
He said the damage to their apartment is extensive, the kitchen is completely destroyed and everything is covered in soot.
"I don't expect that we will be able to return for a number of weeks," he said.
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A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said its staff were on site this morning and will continue to engage with those affected.
"We have been assured that all of the residents whose apartments are temporarily uninhabitable because of fire damage have been provided with alternative accommodation and we will work with residents and the management company as progress is made with works to repair damaged apartments over the coming weeks," the spokesperson said.
