Watch: Car catches fire in Cork forcing evacuation of apartment residents
Residents of apartments above a shopping centre in Mallow, Co Cork were evacuated from their homes on Sunday after a car caught fire in an underground car park.
The incident occurred shortly after 6pm at the Market Square shopping centre car park when plumes of smoke quickly engulfed a section of the shopping centre car park.
The cause of the fire is believed to have been an apparent case of spontaneous combustion.
Firefighters from Mallow Fire Station and gardaí attended the scene. The shopping centre is open this morning but the car park remains closed to allow for a clean up of the area.
It is understood that a small number of residents were asked to evacuate their apartments for about three hours yesterday to guarantee their safety.
Cork North Central TD Ken O’Flynn indicated that fortunately nobody was injured in the incident.
"The incident involved a diesel car, and while it was serious, there has (also) been no significant damage to the building or surrounding infrastructure. Only the vehicles were affected."