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11th Jan 2019

Gardaí investigating fire at Leitrim hotel earmarked for asylum seekers

Carl Kinsella

Rooskey Fire

Gardaí are investigating the incident.

A fire at the vacant Shannon Key West hotel in Leitrim — which had been earmarked by the Justice Department as suitable for direct provision housing for asylum seekers — was attended by emergency services on Thursday night (10 January).

The property was due to be sold to new owners next week.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “Gardaí from Carrick on Shannon Garda Station and the fire brigade attended the scene of a fire at a Hotel in Rooskey, Co. Roscommon. The fire was reported at 8pm last night 10/1/19. All aspects of this incident are currently the subject of a Garda investigation.”

As of Friday morning, the fire had been brought under control. Nobody was injured in the fire, though RTÉ has reported that a security official was present on the ground floor of the hotel when the fire began.

The Rooskey fire is the second fire to hit a hotel that had been earmarked for asylum seekers entering the country.

The previous fire at the Caiseal Mara Hotel in Moville, Donegal was confirmed as an “arson attack” by Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan.

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