Supermac's razed by fire
THE true extent of the extensive damage caused by the fire in Supermac's on High Street, Kilkenny became evident in the early morning daylight this morning (Wednesday).
The glass roof and other aspects of the building - which were retained under the planning permission granted by the local authority for the fast food restaurant, after it took over most of what was the Monster house department Store, 12 years ago, directly opposite city wall - had collapsed.
Had it not been for the great and brave work by the firemen on the scene, the damage would have been much worse and could have destroyed most of William Street. There was no loss of life, nobody was in any danger and no one was injured the in incident, although some of the firemen must be really tired after their exertions on behalf of the people of Kilkenny.
The fire service was called back in early this morning (Wednesday) after fresh flames appeared. They quickly brought it under control and had left again by 10am.
The fire service received a 999 call from staff in the fast food restaurant owned by Galway business man Pat McDonagh on Tuesday evening. They responded immediately and within minutes were on the scene, but even at that stage the fire had spread to the roof, apparently through the smoke extraction system for the chip pans.
There were eight fire units present with tenders from Freshford, Callan, Thomastown and Urlingford on High Street and William Street with over 30 personnel.
Within a few more minutes, the roof started to collapse and it quickly became a job of containment for the firemen who risked serious injury when they went to tackle the flames on three different fronts; from High Street, Guard Lane and William Street.
There are a number of apartments at second story level over Duggan's clothes shop and one of these was burned. The rest were saved while they were affected by smoke and water damage.
Thanks to the good thinking of fire personnel, the fire was contained within the huge building and did not spread to shops, Sabo or Jo Duggan's. However that building showed signs of the intense heat with the paint peeled back from the front walls.
Dugan's monster house clothes shop was badly affected by water damage and some smoke also seemed to seep into the unit. Up along, other units were also damaged by water from above, used to ensure that the fire did not spread.
Mayor Noonan
Kilkenny Mayor Malcolm Noonan has praised the work of Kilkenny fire and rescue services for their work in containing the blaze. He said that were it not for their actions, the fire could have spread to other premises on High St and William St.
"Our fire fighting crews worked heroically as always to contain the fire and it is testament once again to the risks they take on a daily basis to protect people and property' he said. 'It's a relief that none of the staff came to any harm and there were no injuries, again this is due to the quick and decisive action of the emergency services and Gardai," he added.
Mayor Noonan said that while the damage to the building is extensive, he hoped that the owners of the restaurant would be in a position to rebuild it as soon as is practicable as it offered much needed employment in the City.
He also thanked Pat Crotty and the staff of Paris Texas on High Street for looking after the staff of Supermac's.
"This could have been much worse; our fire services are to be commended for their brave efforts in preventing more extensive damage from this unfortunate incident. Once again they have done themselves and the city proud," concluded Mayor Noonan.
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Weather for Kilkenny
Monday 21 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 17 C
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