Gardaí are treating a fire that destroyed a paper factory in Drogheda, Co Louth as arson.
Gardaí responded to an alert about intruders being on the Dawn Paper & Tissue Manufacturing premises at the Donore Road Industrial Estate at about 9.30pm on Saturday. When they arrived, they saw a number of people running from the scene of the fire.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested. He was later released without charge. On Sunday morning gardaí arrested a 17-year-old youth.
It is suspected that a number of people broke into the factory and lit some of the paper before fleeing .
Gardaí alerted the fire service and fire crews from across Louth responded.
Fire crews remained at the scene on Sunday. Chief Fire Officer for Louth, Eamon Woulfe, said the fire will continue to smoulder for a number of days .
Dawn Paper & Tissue Manufacturing, which is run by the McEnteggart family from Duleek in Co Meath, employs 22 people. It manufactures domestic tissue and supplies the industrial cleaning paper industry.
The company has been based at the industrial estate in Drogheda for 20 years and family members and employees visited the burnt out shell of the plant on Sunday morning.
“We have been through some difficult times in the past and we will overcome this unfortunate incident. We have no further comment at this time,” Shane McEnteggart said in a statement afterwards.
Garda Superintendent Gerry Smith of Drogheda Garda Station said officers are following a definite line of enquiry. “We are grateful that there was no loss of life or serious injuries.”
At its peak, the fire service had 12 appliances in attendance, including three hydraulic platforms, a water tanker and a control vehicle. The crews came from Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee and Dunleer.
The area remained cordoned off on Sunday for safety reasons.
Minister for Business and Enterprise Ged Nash, a Labour TD for Louth, said the fire was a “devastating blow for the owners and staff of this well established and respected local company”.
“I will be making every effort to support them and their employees at this extremely difficult time.”