Man missing after fire breaks out at workshop of coffin-making firm

A 30-year-old man was missing last night after a fire broke out in the funeral home he was working in.

The Lithuanian national had not been seen since the fire started at 5.15pm at Finlay’s funeral services in Ardee, Co Louth, yesterday.

The company makes coffins and it is believed that the missing man was in a workshop where the blaze is believed to have begun.

A Garda spokesman said they believe the fire began accidently and “there is nothing to suggest it was suspicious”.

The spokesman confirmed “at the moment, one male is unaccounted for”.

A search of the premises, which was extensively damaged, will take place once it is deemed safe by the fire service to do so.

The man was named locally last night as Ramunas Sinica, who lived in Ardee.

Finlay’s is a family-run business that began in 1933 and it employs around 24 staff. It expanded from making coffins into also providing other funeral services a number of years ago.

Locals who gathered outside the premises said, “everybody here is just devastated for them. They are a lovely family”.

John Caffrey of the Ardee Traders and Business Association said: “We hope they are up and trading again shortly. It is one of the longest businesses in the town and all that is left is the house at the front and the funeral parlour.”

A small number of residents were moved from independent houses that are part of a large nursing home operation to another part of the complex.

Gardaí confirmed they were able to return to their homes within a few hours.