Business as usual for hotel just 24 hours after fire

A HOTEL in Cavan was back in business last night, just 24 hours after a fire at the premises.

“It’s business as usual,” said Siobhán Smyth, general manager of the 85-bedroom Cavan Crystal Hotel.

She said a number of pre-booked parties and functions will go ahead today as planned.

“Damage to the hotel was minimal,” she said, “but we were faced with a huge clean-up operation.”

The hotel and its leisure centre, opened six months ago, is awaiting four-star classification. It shares the huge Dublin Road site with Cavan Crystal’s administration offices and the local broadcaster, Northern Sound.

After fire fighters spent up to 11 hours at the scene, gardaí confirmed that preliminary investigations revealed the fire, first noticed at 5.30pm on Thursday, was caused accidentally.

“It was out of control in quite a short period and its ferocity took people by surprise,” Ms Smyth said. The fire started at the rear of the site.

“We had 40 staff in the hotel when the alarm was raised and we are very pleased with the efficiency of the evacuation,” Ms Smyth said.

Shannonside Northern Sound manager Joe Finnegan said the water and smoke damage to the station’s studios in Cavan was estimated at six figures.

“The staff based in Cavan were transferred to our studios in Longford and Monaghan,” he said. “Our technical crews worked throughout the night and the Cavan county service, disrupted for about two hours, was back on full transmission from 6.30am.”

Opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern four years ago, the purpose-built Cavan radio station’s offices were state-of-the-art, Mr Finnegan said.

“The beauty of our network, with four studios in four counties, permits us to put a plan B into operation in the event of any disaster, such as the Cavan fire, and ensure the service is not downgraded,” he said.