Blaze in Ballina Cash & Carry

BALLINA BLAZE Tuffy's Cash & Carry engulfed in flames.


Major fire in Ballina Cash & Carry

Anton McNulty

The circumstances as to how a major fire broke out at a well-known Cash and Carry in Ballina in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday) are currently under investigation, but it is understood the blaze was not started maliciously.
The fire at Tuffy’s Cash and Carry in Bohernasup, Ballina, was reported shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning, March 26, and three units of the fire brigade from Ballina, Enniscrone and Crossmolina helped tackle the blaze.
The fire caused extensive damage to the building before it was eventually brought under control.
A spokesperson for the Fire Service in Mayo explained that the source of the fire was at the back of the building in a storage area, and while the precise cause of the fire is still under investigation, it is not believed to have been started maliciously.
The rear of the building was extensively damaged, while the front section was relatively intact. The fire was accelerated when items such as briquettes, coal and firelighters caught fire.
The building is located beside the Dunnes Stores carpark and no other building was in danger and nobody was hurt.
Gardaí closed off several roads, including the N59, for a number of hours, which caused traffic disruptions this morning, but they were eventually reopened shortly before 1pm.
A wall in the building had to be knocked down to allow the fire service to gain access to remove smouldering goods from the building. The Fire Service spokesperson said they were damping down the building to ensure the fire would not re-ignite.
Tuffy’s Cash and Carry supplies a large range of goods to shops in the north Mayo region and employs up to 30 people.
The scene is being preserved by the Gardaí for technical examination as they try to determine the cause of the fire.