Russborough wing gutted as fire rages

February 2010

WHILE the amount of damage caused by Sunday night’s fire at Russborough House is still being determined, the repair bill is likely to run into millions.

The fire in the west wing broke out at around 9 p.m. and was spotted by a passing motorist who immediately notified the emergency services.

Four fire brigade units battled the flames until the fire was contained by around midnight. The wing has been extensively damaged, with at least 80 per cent of the roof destroyed. That particular part of the house was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire.

Luckily, Russborough’s famous treasures escaped the blaze as, due to the renovations and the use of Russborough House to shoot a movie last week, valuables which would have been kept in the west wing had already been moved elsewhere. A garda investigation is under way, though at this stage it isn’t believed that there was anything suspicious about the cause of the blaze.

The west wing is extensively damaged with 80 per cent of the roof destroyed and much of the first floor damaged. The damage caused to the ground floor is less serious. Gardai are currently investigating the cause of the fire. It took until midnight to get the fire under control but fire-fighters remained at the scene damping down until 5 a.m. on Monday. There is also a considerable amount of water and smoke damage but it has been confirmed that no works were damaged during the blaze.