Gardaí are investigating the cause of a fire that caused extensive damage to a 160-year-old listed building in Co Clare last night.
The blaze was reported at around 8.45pm at the railway station-master’s house at Brickhill West, Cratloe which hasn’t been lived for around 30 years.
Three units of the fire brigade from Shannon Town responded to the fire along with Gardaí.
Fire crews spent several hours at the scene while ESB engineers were also called to disconnect electricity to the house to make the building safe for firefighters. Gardaí confirmed there was no one in the derelict property at the time.
The station master’s house, which comprises two homes, is listed by Clare County Council as a protected structure and dates back to the 1850s. According to locals, the last time anyone lived in the building was about 30 years ago.
A protected structure is described as “a building or other feature, which, in the opinion of Clare County Council, is of such special architectural, artistic, archaeological, cultural, social, scientific or technical interest that it should be afforded legal protection so that its intrinsic value can be appreciated by future generations.”
A spokesman said: “Gardaí were called to a fire in Cratloe at 8.45pm. The incident is under investigation and there is no indication at this time that it’s suspicious. We would ask anyone who was in the area between 8 and 9pm on Monday to contact us if they saw anything suspicions.”
Gardaí at Shannon can be contacted on 061 365900.