‘It’s been a wild time’

A business owner, who saw his cleaning company gutted as the result of Saturday’s fire, is one of many facing uncertainty as to when he will reopen again.

David O’Sullivan who owns Alpha Sud says that he is currently waiting patiently for an update on any possible reopening in the future.

Located on the carpark floor where the fire began, the business was engulfed by the flames that destroyed 60 cars and severely damaged the car park.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “It’s been a wild time for everybody really. We’re just waiting to see what the extent of the closure will be, that’s the biggest concern. From my own point of view, the fire started right opposite my unit, there’s no physical reception area left. I’m in the zone that was damaged by fire, so that will have to be demolished and rebuilt.”

All businesses in the centre remain closed until further notice while removal of the trapped and destroyed vehicles is currently underway.

The multi-storey car park where Alpha Sud was located will require demolition as a result of the damage.

With no estimate on when the centre will be safe to reopen, businesses may have to look into alternative premises. The Douglas Village Shopping Centre was one of two locations for Alpha Sud, the other is located at Shean Road in Blarney.

“As loyal as a customer can be, they’re going to have to make other choices in the immediate term. It’s going to be difficult for those customers to come back, to win back that business,” Mr O’Sullivan continued.

“You could be back in twelve months, you could be back in two years. I haven’t approached anybody, because I can’t commit to how long I’ll need the place.

“It’s up to the engineers and the builders to tell us how long it will take. Considering the fact that nobody has died, there haven’t been any fatalities or casualties, it’s not a big ask to ask people to be patient at this time. I know it’s difficult. Half my income is gone.”John Barry

news@corkindependent.com