An investigation is under way into the cause of a fire which destroyed a furniture store in Ballincollig, Co Cork, yesterday morning.
The alarm was raised at 10.30am yesterday when fire broke out at the Ballincollig furniture premises on Maglin Road.
The owner of the store and his daughter were working at the time but they escaped without injury. Several units of Cork City Fire Brigade were dispatched to control the blaze. At one point, seven units were battling the fire which was brought under control shortly before lunchtime.
A Fire Brigade spokesman said the blaze spread very quickly through the building.
He said several walls of the building and the roof had collapsed.
"Our main aim was to contain the blaze from an adjacent house and we succeeded in doing that," he added.
The furniture store first opened for business over 45 years ago and its owners were said to be devastated by yesterday's blaze.