Gardaí are investigating the cause of a serious fire at a business premises in Ennis after an earlier incident had been successfully dealt with by Gardaí.
A fire was first set outside a mobile phone shop in the town however this was quickly dealt with by Gardaí who arrived at the scene and discharged a fire extinguisher.
It’s understood that a person or persons set fire to recyclable material that had been left outside the shops for collection.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station were also mobilised to the incident at around 2.00am in the town’s O’Connell Street. They were stood down shortly afterwards while Gardaí commenced a search for the culprit.
However, soon after fire crews had returned to their station, they were alerted to another more serious blaze on Abbey Street.
On arrival, firefighters found that a fire that had apparently been lit outside the building had spread inside. Unaware of whether there were any persons in the building, additional resources were requested and a unit of the fire service from Shannon Town was mobilised to the scene.
While the fire is understood to have originated outside the property, it spread into an area at the side of a pharmacy which also sustained some damage. A fuse box also caught fire while live power cables sparked forcing fire crews to tackle the blaze from outside.
ESB engineers arrived later and disconnected the electricity before firefighters could safely enter the building. A thorough search was carried out however there were no persons inside.
The scene was preserved overnight while a technical examination is being carried out this morning. Gardaí in Ennis are investigating the incidents.
A short time later, during a follow-up search by Gardaí, a person was arrested and taken Ennis Garda station.
A spokesman confirmed that the individual is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and is being interviewed in relation to the incidents.