Explosion on O'Connell Street?

02/12/2010 - 13:12:06
One of Dublin’s best known streets was shut today after a suspected gas explosion at a cafe.

O‘Connell Street was closed to traffic and pedestrians at lunchtime after the incident at the Kylemore at about 12.45pm.

There were no reports of injuries so far, a Garda spokesman said.

Both the north and south bound sides of the street were initially shut but the northern side later reopened.

A Bord Gáis inspector was on the scene, a spokesman for the company said.

It is not clear whether the explosion, which occurred in the basement of the cafe, was caused by gas.

TroutFisher wrote: »

Thats not live:rolleyes:

irishtimes.com wrote:

An incident in a restaurant on O'Connell Street in Dublin forced gardaí to close off a section of the city this afternoon.

None of the customers or staff inside Kylemore Café at the time were injured but the building had to be evacuated.

A perimeter was established around the area, blocking traffic for over an hour.

It was initially suspected that there had been an explosion in the café caused by a gas leak. However, Bord Gáis said its safety staff had inspected the premises and that this was not the case.

"It now appears that there was no explosion and the incident was in fact the collapse of a basement wall," Bord Gáis said in a statement.

Employees of a suit shop across the street said they heard a small bang from inside the café at 12.30pm after which roughly 50 people were forced to exit.

Gardaí and Fire Brigade services arrived on the scene within five minutes and cordoned off the area as a precaution for the safety of the public.

Ten members of the Garda, two fire trucks, a Bord Gáis van and another fire services car were visible outside the café as an inquiry got under way into the precise nature of the incident.

Just before 2pm, gardaí reduced the restricted perimeter around the area and allowed traffic to resume normal flow on both O'Connell Street and North Earl Street.

angelfire9 wrote: »

I can confirm there is no Kylemore Cafe on O'Connell Street or for that matter any other street in Ennis