2ND GRENFELL FEARS
Dublin hotel fire – terrified witness caught in inferno feared she was trapped in a repeat of Grenfell Tower fire
A MASSIVE fire erupted at a high-rise Dublin hotel — sending burning debris raining onto the street as guests ran screaming overnight.
One witness recounted how she "grabbed whatever" - fearing it could be a repeat of the Grenfell blaze tragedy - after realising the flames were raging on the top floors of the 15-storey Metro Hotel building in the north of the Irish capital.
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Speaking to Classic Hits' 4FM, Joy, who was evacuated from one of the apartments at the hotel complex, said she was in room 903 when the fire broke out, but initially thought it was a false alarm.
She said: "I thought it was a fault in the window and I called reception to close them.
"They said there's a fire, I needed to leave my home.
"I literally grabbed whatever. I was reminded of the Grenfell Tower, I thought oh my god, this is happening."
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The woman, who had lived in the complex for more than two years, was among the dozens to run for their lives as the blaze ripped through the hotel, with eight crews fighting the fire for more than four hours.
This morning, Dublin Fire Brigade's chief fire officer Patrick Fleming spoke out, assuring the public that the blaze was a "very, very different" type of fire to the Grenfell tragedy that claimed the lives of 70 people.
He said: "I suppose what I'd like to do this morning is reassure the public that leaving the apartment buildings - that this was not a Grenfell tower type of fire. It was a very, very different type of fire.
"We're delighted that nobody was hurt, [both] the public or indeed any firefighter was hurt in the incident.
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"But it does raise the issue that people need to know what to do if and when a fire alarm goes off. And there was a very orderly evacuation of this building which made sure that there was no casualties at the actual incident itself."
All 150 guests and private residents in the building were rushed from the three-star hotel as windows exploded from the heat. No injuries were reported.
At least seven floors were destroyed near the top of the tower which houses private flats above the hotel complex.
A witness told : "There were loads of people just running out. I saw one woman crying in her dressing gown with her three children.
"Another man was lying on the ground and being treated by the ambulance men."
Brave fightfighters scaled the building using cherry-pickers to beat back the flames from the outside.
Meanwhile dozens more wearing breathing equipment stormed the building floor-by-floor to tackle the fire — believed to have started in the 13th storey.
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Neighbour Erica Fleming told the : "One of the apartments is completely engulfed. There is smoke bellowing up through the floors.
“The windows exploded... obviously from the heat."
Cllr Paul McAuliffe said he believed all had got out safely, adding: "Windows and cladding are peeling off the building and falling down onto the side wing where the hotel is.
"Windows are exploding and fire and debris are billowing out the side of the building.
"This is going to leave a major scar on the landscape of Ballymun."
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The hotel was previously used to help accommodate homeless families in need of emergency accommodation.
Anthony Flynn, CEO of Inner City Housing Homeless, earlier told : “The situation is that the top seven floors of the hotel are currently on fire.
"Dublin Fire Brigade are on the scene, and it looks like the whole hotel is going up at the moment."
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Lawmaker Noel Rock thanked the emergency services, saying: "I hope that everybody is safe but cannot be certain for the moment.
"I’d like to praise the emergency workers I’ve spoken to this evening, and thank them for their work."
The hotel and apartment complex was put up for sale by its previous owners at £2.2million in 2014.
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