Fire crews have dealt with a fire at an ESB sub-station on the outskirts of Ennis which has left almost 300 customers without power.
The fire was reported at the small building in the Doora Industrial Estate at around 1.30pm.
Workers reported hearing a large bang and seeing smoke billowing from the concrete structure.
Two units of Ennis Fire Service responded to the incident along with Gardaí.
Firefighters were however unable to open the doors and tackle the blaze until ESB Networks engineers were contacted and arrived at the scene. ESB crews also had to disconnect power from the local area before firefighters could safely approach the building.
When cleared to do so, fire service personnel wearing breathing apparatus were able to unlock the metal doors and begin fighting the fire using foam.
The ESB’s online Powercheck facility is indicating that 273 customers have been affected by the resulting outage.
Engineers are at the scene working on restoring power local businesses and other customers.
No one was injured in the incident.
Update:
An ESB Networks statement confirmed: “A fire occurred at a MV unit substation at Doora Industrial Estate on the Quin Road in Ennis this afternoon. Emergency services were notified immediately and ESB Networks crews mobilised to secure the site and all infrastructure.
More than 300 customers were initially impacted with a majority having their power restored by this afternoon. Due to the damage caused to some of the infrastructure, 40 customers will remain without power overnight.
ESB Networks crews remain on site to carry out the repairs and to investigate the cause of the fire. ESB Networks apologies to all customers for the obvious inconveniences caused.”
