Fire service tackle major Ballynanty fire

A huge fire ripped through the old Knockalisheen Avenue flats last night, gutting three of the abandoned houses.

Limerick fire service was called to the scene around 8.00pm where they were confronted with a quickly spreading fire and a large crowd of on looking locals.

Six units of the fire service battled the blaze for nearly 2 hours before declaring it controlled.

Local councilor Maurice Quinlivan, whose family lived there for more than 50 years and was amongst the families who moved out, says nowadays the flats are a “haven for criminality”,

"It was ironic that just today as a local resident voiced her concerns to me that the flats be removed before they are subject to the regular fires that have plagued the vacant flats on Knockalisheen Road we had tonight’s fire.

These vacant flats have now become a haven for drug taking and vandalism and need to be removed and the vacant area secured immediately.As there are no firm plans in the public domain to re develop the area at present it is essential that if redevelopment is not immediately planned that at the very least the flats be demolished, the rubble removed and the area properly secured.

The vacant flats are being used for Anti-Social behavior and causing serious aggravation to the tenants in the Ballynanty Road area."

Nobody was injured.