Cork fire: Manhunt under way after fire destroys listed building

Gardaí are hunting for three suspected arsonists after fire gutted a derelict listed former asylum in Cork city.

As the scale of the damage emerged, an exclusion zone has been imposed around the remains of St Kevin’s unit on the grounds of the former Our Lady’s Mental Hospital on the Lee Road.

Two-thirds of the imposing five-storey red-bricked structure’s roof has been destroyed, supporting internal pillars have crumbled, and the top three floors have collapsed.