Castlerea home gutted by fire

Fire caused “significant damage” to a refurbished house in the Castlerea area on Saturday night.

Fire brigades from Ballaghaderreen, Roscommon Town and Ballyhaunis rushed to the scene of the blaze at Cloondahara, on the outskirts of Castlerea town at 10.30 p.m. on Saturday, October 24th.

The fire service has confirmed that the refurbished rented home was unoccupied at the time the fire started. The fire is understood to have started in the stove and chimney and spread into the attic space.

“There was significant damage to the building but no injuries were sustained given house was unoccupied at the time,” said a spokesperson for the fire service.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice said he was “very thankful to the crews from other areas who got there as quickly as they could”.

He added that the fire reiterated the point that “we do need our own fire service in Castlerea and I'm now calling on Roscommon County Council to start the process to reopen our fire station.”