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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Imasha Costa & Michelle Cullen

Emergency services rush to scene after electric bike sparks fire in Cork apartment block

Emergency services rushed to the scene of an apartment block in Cork city centre after a blaze broke out.

Gardai and emergency personnel arrived shortly after midnight to tackle the flames believed to have been caused by an electric bike left charging in a bedroom.

Four units from the Cork City Fire Brigade responded to the alarm, which was raised at Lower Barrack Street, where the fire had broken out in an apartment above the popular O'Sho's pub.

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Eyewitnesses on the scene told CorkBeo that they had heard a woman screaming for help from the rear of the building.

The loud screams led to residents of the nearby apartment block quickly pouring onto the street, where they watched as Cork City Fire Brigade sprang into action.

Four units from the Cork City Fire Brigade responded to the alarm (Cork City Fire Brigade/Twitter)

Small groups of local residents who had evacuated their apartments - most of them in their pyjamas - stood under umbrellas in the pouring rain as firefighters tackled the blaze.

Smoke was seen billowing out of the apartment window as firefighters tackled the blaze putting on breathing apparatus before entering the building.

Due to necessary safety checks, some residents could not get back into their apartments until 2 am.

Cork City Fire Brigade told CorkBeo that the fire might have been started by an electric bike which had been charging in a room above the pub.

All residents were evacuated successfully, and there were no reports of casualties.

A spokesperson for the Fire Brigade said: "CCFB responded to an incident on Barrack Street last night, no one was injured and an electric bike is suspected as the cause of the fire."

This morning, a clean-up crew was dealing with the aftermath of the blaze, removing charred mattresses and bedding from the affected apartment.

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