A man in his 40s has been taken to hospital following what is believed to have been an explosion and fire at a house in Tralee, Co Kerry.
Gardaí and units from Kerry Fire Brigade attended the scene. The fire broke out at a house near the Manor West Hotel shortly after 5pm on Wednesday.
One woman who was donating blood at the hotel recalled hearing a “loud bang”, adding that the building she was in “shook” before occupants left and saw the nearby house ablaze.
The scene has been preserved for a technical examination, which will be carried out on Thursday, a Garda spokesman said.
Four people were evacuated from the two-storey house. Among them was a man in his 40s who was brought to University Hospital Kerry for treatment of injuries, though they were not believed to be life-threatening.
No other injuries were reported.
