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Massive recovery operation required following Cork car park blaze

Massive recovery operation required following Cork car park blaze
Picture: Cork Fire Brigade Twitter

Engineers are assessing the scale damage to the Douglas Village Shopping Centre car park in Cork city after last night's devastating fire.

The link road in Douglas remains closed to traffic as talks get underway about the massive recovery operation which will be required to remove almost 200 cars which are still inside the multi-storey car park.

Up to 60 vehicles were damaged in the blaze, most on level one of the structure.

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Up to 45 vehicles in one area of level one, close to the seat of the fire, have been completely burned out.

Video footage from level two shows how the intense heat buckled the steel super-structure.

The shopping centre remains closed today.

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Some areas of the shopping centre suffered consequential damage from the blaze and the fire fighting operation but it is understood the damage is relatively minor.

A statement is expected from the shopping centre owners later about whether it can reopen tomorrow.

However, gardaí say the link road outside the car park will remain closed until tomorrow at the earliest.

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Local Fianna Fail Cllr Mary Rose Desmond has called on City Hall to do all it can, including the possible relaxing of parking restrictions in Douglas village, to support traders while businesses in the shopping centre get back on their feet.

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