MAIN STREET IN Buncrana is closed following a major fire in the Donegal town last night.
The blaze broke out in a premises on Upper Main Street shortly after 9pm. Fire units from Donegal and Derry attended the scene and spent several hours tackling the inferno.
There are no reports of any injuries following the fire.
Donegal County Council say that the street is closed from West End to Market Square. Ferris lane and all footpaths at upper Main Street are also closed for public safety reasons.
Diversions have been put in place.
Videos shared on social media show shocked onlookers watching the fire raging in the heart of the town.
Loud bangs and crackles can he heard as flames leap from the building, sending a thick column of black smoke into the sky.
Local councillor Rena Donaghey, who lives a mile outside Buncrana, told Highland Radio she could clearly see the flames from her house.
“It was ferocious. It’s awful. It’s such a sad evening for Buncrana,” she said.
“Probably one of the oldest buildings in the town, it started there, in John Barr’s drapery store and then The Plaza is next door and the, very popular, Excelsior bar is below that again.
It was like an inferno. It was scary really to tell you the truth. It was awful. Awful.
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