THERE were 220 guests evacuated from their rooms when a serious fire broke out in a Killarney town centre hotel early this morning.
The alarm was raised at 6.00am after a blaze was detected in the kitchen of the Eviston House Hotel on New Street.
Several units of the Kerry Fire Service raced to the scene with firefighters from Killarney, Tralee and Castleisland summoned in an attempt to bring the fire under control. Hydraulic equipment was also used to reach the upper floors of the hotel.
The guests were moved safety from their rooms and brought to other hotels where they were accommodated.
Kerry County Council provided assistance in that regard and although the majority of the guests were due to check out today, those that remain on are understood to be accommodated in the Brook Lodge Hotel which is also owned by the Eviston family.
It is believed that extensive fire and water damage was caused to the building with the kitchen area gutted while a number of bedrooms were also badly damaged.
The Eviston House is very popular given its ton centre location and it houses the famous Danny Mann pub.
It is the second time in three years that the hotel has had to be evacuated because of fire.
In July 2019 emergency services were alerted at 2 o’clock on Sunday morning when a minor fire broke out in a laundry room and a decision was taken to evacuate the building as a precaution.
