Fire crews are still dampening down after fire swept through a vacant building in Ballyboden in Dublin last night.
Firefighters worked through the night to bring the fire at the former Augustinian site on Edmondstown Road under control.
Dublin Fire Brigade said it expected to have crew on the scene throughout the morning.
The alarm was raised shortly before 8.30pm last night at the building, which was previously used as a church and by the Augustinian Fathers as a College.
The former Augustinian building in Ballyboden, Dublin is well alight, with several crews from @DubFireBrigade attending pic.twitter.com/zDFWLFeZuw
— Philip Bromwell (@philipbromwell) August 20, 2024
Several homes and a new primary care centre are located close to the building, which has not been in use for several years.
Property developer Shannon Homes had plans to demolish the building and construct more than 400 apartments on the site.
The blaze caused traffic disruption and smoke could also be seen drifting over nearby Rathfarnham.
The Edmondstown Road remained closed this morning with diversions in place, but gardaí expected it to reopen later this morning.
Firefighting operations are continuing at the #Ballyboden St. Augustine's fire.
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 20, 2024
We expect to have crews on scene through the night and have received great assistance from partner agencies as we continue to extinguish the fire. pic.twitter.com/iBOxQmrXYJ
Sinn Féin Councillor for South Dublin County Council Róisín Mannion said local residents from Ballyboden have been in contact with gardaí and council about anti-social behaviour at the site.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said: "There's been a number of fires lit there, especially over the summer. It seems, from the information I have, to be an ongoing issue with the vacant site not being potentially adequately secured.
Ms Mannion said she expects there to be "quite significant" damage to the nine-acre site.
"There's been a number of fires reported recently from local residents. The guards have attended before, as have the Fire Brigade, predominantly in the seminary building," Ms Mannion said.
She added: "There’s also been videos circulating on WhatsApp from teenagers just hanging out in the vacant buildings."
Ms Mannion said that SDCC has never considered using the former Augustinian building as a site to accommodate asylum seekers.
"I haven’t heard anything about this, it's never even been suggested utilising the site in this manner."
