'We heard loud bangs and the fire started spreading': Eyewitnesses count cost of Cork fire

Shoppers have described the scene of the fire which caused extensive damage to Douglas Village Shopping Centre car park this evening.

Emily Ryder, age 11, was returning to her car with her mother Vanessa when she saw a red glow reflected off the glass at the top of the travelator that leads to the multistorey carpark in the Tesco Shopping Centre.

"There was a group of people taking a video and when I looked at the video, I saw a fire. The people said there was a car on fire. Then we started hearing loud bangs and the fire started spreading. It was scary.

We walked out into the carpark and we could see it was getting worse and worse.

Emily and her mother had travelled up from Kinsale to get school uniform items at Laura's Schoolwear which is close to the village. They then decided to pop into the Tesco Shopping Centre and got caught up in the drama.

When talking to the Irish Examiner, Emily was shivering in a blanket that another woman had given her. That woman's daughter had also been parked on Level One where the fire broke out and her car was also trapped.

Emily and Vanessa had to find an alternative way home as the family car was one of up to an estimated 60 or so caught up in the blaze. They moved to Kinsale from Carlingford last year as Emily's dad, Quentin Ryder, was appointed the new Harbour Master in the town.

"People came up to us outside and said all the cars on Level One were gone," Emily said.

The fire began on the first floor of the multi-storey car park.

Eddie Hogan O'Connell, a teacher at St Anthony's Boys National School in Ballinlough, Cork, had popped down to pick up a takeaway in Douglas before calling to Tescos for wine. He had parked his car, which contained his passport and driving licence, on Level One.

"It was around 6.45pm," he said. "I came up the Travelator to Level One of the carpark. I could see a car on fire in the middle row. I heard a few bangs - I thought it was probably the tyres and maybe the engine. Unfortunately, it had a domino effect."

Eddie Hogan O'Connell

Mr Hogan O'Connell said the staff in the shopping centre "did a great job of getting everyone out quickly".

"People were being asked to leave their shopping at the top of the Travelator. The smoke had escalated big time at that stage."

Mr Hogan O'Connell said a friend of his was in Marcello's restaurant in Douglas at the time and they too were evacuated because of the smoke.

He said he had heard a rumour that the car was already on fire when it got to the top of the ramp on the way into the shopping centre, but that was merely speculation.

He said he would be surprised if any of the cars on Level One withstood the blaze. He expressed concern that the heat generated by multiple cars on fire could have also caused damage to Level Two.

Mr Hogan O'Connell said he was relieved no-one was injured. His main concern was the loss of his passport as he travels a lot in his capacity as a referee for the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) where he is involved with officiating the PRO14.

Another woman whose car was trapped on Level One was in tears as her twin sons' graduation suits were in her car.

You can read another eyewitness account of the fire below: