A number of occupants were evacuated from a hotel in Co Offaly last night after a fire broke out.
The fire at the Dunkerrin Arms in Dunkerrin, started shortly after 10pm.
Six residents, who it is understood were placed there by local authorities, pending more permanent accommodation becoming available, were medically assessed by ambulance personnel at the scene.
None required hospital treatment.
The upstairs of the building and a number of bedrooms were extensively damaged prior to the local fire brigade extinguishing the fire.
Gardaí say the exact cause of the fire is unknown but preliminary investigations indicate it may have originated from within the building. The scene has been preserved for a technical examination.
In recent years the Dunkerrin Arms had been an accommodation centre for Ukrainian refugees and for International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) applicants, but the most recent residents were people on local authority housing lists.
A garda investigation is ongoing.
