Fire crews battle wine warehouse blaze

Firefighters tackling a major blaze at a wine merchant’s warehouse were battling today to prevent it spreading.

There were no reports of injuries, but at least three fire crews were still fighting to gain control of the blaze at the Wines Direct warehouse near Columb Military Barracks at Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

Fianna Fail councillor Jim Bourke said the building had been gutted, but praised the efforts of firefighters to prevent major damage to other properties, including a nearby tyre centre.

He said he had visited the scene and met management from the well-known wine importers.

He said the owners believed the building, which houses offices plus warehouse storage space, was empty when the fire broke out at about 8pm.

“I would like to praise the fast and efficient work of the local fire department,” Mr Bourke said.

While there were reports of damage to nearby businesses, Mr Bourke believed fire crews had succeeded in preventing the blaze engulfing any other buildings.

He said he had offered Wines Direct access to office space and computers to help staff continue their work later today.