This article is from page 13 of the 2006-02-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
THE country’s leading catering college has voluntarily agreed to move 84 students from two apartment blocks, which it leases in Shannon, to a local hotel, following a fire at the complex on Tuesday night
The blaze has raised serious concerns in the fire authority in Clare about the safety of the buildings.
The Shannon College of Hotel Management, which is governed by the Shannon Airport Authority, has moved the students from Hawthorns and Linden blocks at Drumgeely Flats, adjacent to Shannon Airport, to the nearby Great Southern Hotel, which is also owned by the Airport Authority.
The move follows an incident on Tuesday night last when a fire broke out in a flat at one of the blocks. No one was injured in the incident that is understood to have been caused by a fault in an electric shower. Following the fire however, concerns were expressed by the fire authority and the owner voluntarily made arrangements to vacate the block. Subsequently, a second building, also leased by the Shannon College of Hotel Management, was vacated by the college authorities.
A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Authority has confirmed, “we were not forced to leave the flats, we took this decision ourselves in the interest of safety. The fire authority has been inspecting the flats and we await their final report. In the meantime the students are being accommodated in the Great Southern Hotel here at the airport.”
Clare’s Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly, has confirmed that there are “some fire safety issues” with one of the blocks.
“We are inspecting both blocks, which have been vacated, and have been in touch with the management company. There are 12 blocks in all at Drumgeely, but we are not aware of any safety issues with the other 10. But we hope to inspect them also.”
Chief Kelly has confirmed, however, that the fire service is trying to establish ownership of the other buildings with a view to inspecting the blocks to ensure they meet current fire safety regulations. Mr Kelly also praised the college authorities for their cooperation and their speedy response to the safety concerns expressed.