Man dies following explosion at Dublin homeless hostel

Gardaí and the Dublin Fire Brigade responded to an incident at a residential premises on Little Britain Street in Dublin 7, shortly after 3:30 pm today, Thursday, January 18, following reports of an explosion inside the property.

One adult male sustained fatal injuries, Gardaí said on Thursday, adding that there are no reports of any other injuries.

Residents at the premises have been evacuated, and a cordon, along with local traffic diversions, are currently in place.

The precise cause of the explosion is currently under investigation, and the Garda Technical Bureau will examine the scene.

Depaul, a charity helping people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, confirmed in a statement on Thursday that there was an incident in its Little Britain Street service.

“It was a localised incident confined to one room," the Irish charity said in a statement.

“All service users will be evacuated from the building tonight and alternative placements will be found.

“Depaul are working with the DRHE (Dublin Region Homeless Executive) and our NGO partners to ensure no person will be left without accommodation this evening."

Thursday's incident occurred while Ireland remains under a yellow status - low temperature and ice warning through Friday morning.

The Irish Independent reported that Dublin Fire Brigade and the DRHE said in a statement: “At 1515 hours today, Dublin Fire Brigade received an emergency call reporting a serious incident at a premises on Little Britain Street.

"Firefighter/Advanced Paramedics from Phibsborough, Tara Street, and North Strand fire stations responded and the incident was under control by 1535 hours.

"In total, five fire engines were mobilised to the scene along with a District Officer.

"The assistance of ESB Networks, Gas Networks Ireland and An Garda Síochána was requested and the scene was handed over to Gardaí at 1615 hours.

“The DRHE was notified this afternoon of a serious incident at a supported hostel in the city. The incident occurred within the building and was confined to one room.

"All residents are being evacuated on a temporary basis to allow for a full assessment. Our priority is to safely re-accommodate all residents tonight.

"Our sincere thanks to our NGO partners, An Garda Síochána and Dublin Fire Brigade who are assisting on the ground.”

Later on Thursday, a bomb disposal team was at the scene. However, The Journal reported: "Initial investigations by Garda forensics experts led to calling in army explosive experts to examine items found in the room but at this stage, the explosion is being treated as an accident. "

The Irish Times reports that many of those who were in the Depaul accommodation at the time have been moved into the nearby George’s Hill facility run by Focus Ireland.