Skip to content

Large fire causes extensive damage to family business

News imageJohn Molloy A large fire at a building is seen at night time. John Molloy
About 58 firefighters attended the blaze at Cherrymore Kitchens & Bedrooms

A large fire has caused extensive damage to a kitchen and bedroom warehouse in County Donegal.

Almost 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at Cherrymore Kitchens & Bedrooms, a family-run business in Donegal Town, on Thursday night.

In a statement on social media on Friday, the company said no one was on site at the time. It also praised emergency services and staff at the nearby Donegal Waste site for their support during the incident, and thanked members of the community for their patience.

Donegal County Council (DCC) said 58 firefighters attended the scene, and that a storage area in the building had been "largely destroyed", while other areas sustained smoke damage.

Crews remain at the scene on Friday morning

There have been no reports of injuries.

DCC said emergency services responded following a 999 call received at 22:46 local time.

"Following a 999 call, the first brigade responding from Donegal Town recognised the extent of a well-established fire and called in additional resources from Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Killybegs, Stranorlar and Letterkenny," the council said.

"The fire appeared to be centred in a storage area containing large quantities of wood used in the business's production process.

Three crews spent Friday morning damping down the fire.

"Our thoughts are with the McLaughlin family, owners of Cherrymore, along with their staff, suppliers and customers, all of whom have been affected by this very serious incident," DCC said.

News imageGoogle A Google street view image of the Cherrymore industrial complex in Donegal Town. Google
The fire happened at Cherrymore Kitchens and Bedrooms in Donegal Town

In a statement on Friday, An Garda Síochána (the Irish police service) described it as an "ongoing incident".

In a statement posted to social media, the Ballybofey and Stranorlar Chamber of Commerce said their thoughts were with the family who own the business.

They said it was especially devastating, as this year marked the firm's 30th anniversary and it employs a lot of people.

The chamber described the facility as "one of the most advanced and modern factories in the whole of Ireland".

"We as a chamber will do our utmost to help in any way we can," it concluded.