Man killed in explosion at homeless shelter in Dublin
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A technical examination is ongoing following an explosion at a homeless hostel in Dublin city centre that left one person dead.
Gardaí this afternoon confirmed that one adult male sustained fatal injuries in the incident at a premises on Little Britain Street.
There are no reports of other injuries.
The precise cause of the explosion is currently under investigation, and the Garda Technical Bureau will examine the scene.
Dublin Fire Brigade received the emergency call at 3.15pm and was able to get the incident under control by 3.35pm.
Five fire engines attended the scene where they were joined by a District Officer and teams from ESB Networks and Gas Networks Ireland.
The scene has since been handed over to An Garda Síochána.
The incident took place at a hostel run by Depaul which is used to provide shelter for people who are homeless.
In a statement this evening, Depaul said the explosion was a localised incident confined to one room.
It said alternative placements will be found for all service users who were evacuated.
"Depaul are working with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) and our NGO partners to ensure no person will be left without accommodation this evening," it said.
The DRHE thanked An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, and their NGO partners for their assistance.
One man who was in the hostel when the explosion happened described hearing a bang and seeing a lot of smoke as they were evacuated.
"There was a big panic and they just told us all to run out the exit doors," Wayne said.
It wasn't a big bang, he explained, "just a little bang".
"When we were walking out, me and my girlfriend, we looked up and seen a big cloud of smoke coming out the roof."
Locals and members of the public were seen asking gardaí about the cordon, and one woman who lives near the area asked a garda if she was safe in her accommodation.
“It came up on the news feed that there was an explosion. So I just asked the guard there now ‘are we safe?'” the woman, who did not want to be named, told the PA news agency.
“Because we were looking down on it earlier not knowing the facts.
“My sister is visiting and she heard the explosion around 2pm-ish. I didn’t because I had the tap running and the vent on over the cooker.”
She said the gardaí had told her she was safe.
It is understood that the homeless hostel is busy, and the woman said she believed it was usually full.
“I knew by the numbers of gardaí and everything that there was a fatality involved,” she said.
“God love him. I don’t know what the circumstances are, hopefully the rest of them are safe.”
Emergency services remain at the scene.
Dublin Fire Brigade extended their sympathies to deceased man's family and friends.
“Residents have been evacuated and a cordon and local traffic diversions are in place,” a garda spokesperson said. “Fire Services currently have primacy at the scene.”
Dublin Fire Brigade also advised people to avoid the area and divert to another route if possible. Traffic is currently closed between Green Street and Capel Street.
Gardaí added that they would provide updates in due course.