Miracle escape for 38 rescued from flats fire

THE residents of a Dublin city centre apartment block had a lucky escape early yesterday morning when flames engulfed their homes, trapping several people on the upper floors of the building.

A total of 38 people were rescued by fire officers from the burning building at Mountjoy Square, in the north inner city, shortly before 8am.

Dense smoke, which spread quickly through the complex, forced one male resident to jump two storeys to safety.

Fourteen units of the Dublin Fire Brigade and several ambulances rushed to the scene and found a large numbers of residents hanging out of windows of the building.

They had been prevented from escaping through the front door of the complex by thick smoke in the stairway.

Fire officers used extension ladders to evacuate residents trapped on the upper floors by the fire, which is believed to have started on the ground floor.

Other members of the fire brigade — using breathing apparatus — entered the building and quickly managed to bring the inferno under control, although it took almost an hour before the flames were finally extinguished.

Ten residents including three children were treated in the nearby Mater and Temple Street hospitals for smoke inhalation. None of their injuries were described as serious. The condition of the children was described as stable.

Most of the inhabitants of the two red-brick houses on a corner of Mountjoy Square that had been converted into a large apartment block are foreign nationals, with the majority from China and eastern Europe.

They provided graphic descriptions of being woken and told to get out of the building as quickly as possible

“It was very hard to breathe. There was black smoke everywhere. We were lucky to hear the smoke alarm and were able to get out,” said one Chinese national who did not wish to give his name.

The student was forced to wait several hours outside the building before being allowed return to his apartment and gather some personal items.

“I’m afraid to go [for] something to eat as I have important documentation like my passport in my bedroom,” he added.

Around 20 residents waited outside the building for several hours after the fire, reluctant to leave their accommodation unoccupied.

Robert Pytel, a Polish worker who had lived in the building for the past four months, said it was fortunate that people had responded to the alarm, as it had gone off several times in recent weeks for no apparent reason.

“I could see the flames... so there was no doubt that there was a fire,” added Mr Pytel.

Another resident — who declined to give his name — complained that there were always problems in the apartment block, including several incidents involving drug addicts.

“It’s the worst place I’ve ever stayed,” he said.

Garda technical experts and fire safety officers conducted a lengthy examination of the scene yesterday.