One of Ireland’s most important costume businesses has been destroyed in a fire in Waterford, which also badly damaged the old jute factory.
The Nomac Productions warehouse, in what is now known as the Tycor Business Centre, contained more than 50,000 costumes extensively used in the theatre, film and TV sectors.
The fire started at the business centre on Saturday evening, close to Walsh Park where the Munster hurling championship game was coming to an end, with large flames visible.
Many of Nomac’s costumes cannot be replaced, according to owner Blánaid MacCann who has run the business for 38 years.
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MacCann wrote that the fire “has caused devastation to Nomac Productions that has left our building in ruins.
“We are yet to learn the full extent of the damage, but we know that the loss we have suffered is immeasurable,” she said on the company’s Facebook page.
She said the costumes included items handmade by the company and historical clothing.
“We are simply devastated. We don’t yet know what this means for Nomac Productions, and we will be figuring out those steps over the coming weeks. We know that this will be as confusing and scary for us as it is for all of you,” she said.
The costumes were leased to local theatre companies, pantomimes in Dublin and television and film productions.
Other local business owners were counting the cost of the fire.
Andrew Hepburn, founder of DG Foods, a wholesale supplier to restaurants and cafes for more than 20 years, said it had resulted in a “lifetime’s work down the drain in minutes”.
Paul Hearne, owner of the Celtic Warrior Martial Arts Club, said he feared his business had been lost.
He said he was afraid the floor mats, which cost between €4,000 and €5,000, have been destroyed along with kick-shields, focus-mitts and uniforms.
“Devastation is one of the few words I’ll be using. You can’t really put into words the emotions I’m processing at the moment,” he said.
Fire investigators have found asbestos in the ruins of the building, which was home to 40 small and medium-sized enterprises and 200 workers. Many premiseshave been badly damaged or destroyed.
The old jute factory, which once employed 600 people in Waterford city, closed in December 1974. It opened as a business park in 1999.
Fire investigators found asbestos-containing materials in the debris. Some debris may have been deposited on surrounding footpaths and roadways.
A specialist contractor has been appointed to conduct a precautionary clean-up of the affected external areas and an independent asbestos consultancy has been appointed to monitor the environment throughout the remediation works.
Air monitoring conducted on Sunday did not detect elevated asbestos fibre concentrations in the air. However, the public are advised to avoid the area as operations continue.
Waterford City and County Council has issued safety alerts to all nearby residents, flagging the potential dangers of asbestos at the burnt-out site.
Minister for Housing James Browne visited the site on Monday with Waterford junior ministers Mary Butler and John Cummins and council chief executive Seán McKeown.
“Thankfully, there is no sign, in terms of air monitoring, of any elevated limits of asbestos, which is very positive,” said Browne.
“Our lives at the moment are in limbo,” said Jean Upton, who, with her sister Ellenor , runs the Waterford Music Centre, a music and stage school in the Tycor centre and one of the businesses affected by the fire.
“It’s not just a building. For the kids, it was their place as much as ours. It’s just heartbreaking to know we’ll never set foot in here again,” she said.
Sean Johnston, chief executive of Causeway Group, the Waterford property management company that controls most of the commercial premises in the park, said the cause of the fire is still not known. About 35 businesses and 50 units had been affected, he said.
“We’re more concerned with the people in here,” he said.
