Hundreds of residents were forced to leave their homes after a fire broke out at an apartment complex in Dublin.
One person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation after the blaze broke out at the Auburn park apartment complex in Castleknock in the early hours of this morning.
The alarm was raised shortly after 12.30am and emergency services arrived at the scene at 12.45am.
Resident Ali Awais said he was at work when his wife rang to tell him that a blaze had broken out in a bedroom of their apartment on the top floor.
"I got a video call and (heard) 'There's a fire, the kids..,' and I was just traumatised."
Mr Awais rushed home and was reunited with his wife and two young girls, aged three and five.
He described how his wife had alerted other residents.
"She went through the fire exit and she was banging on everyone's door….(saying)…'there's a fire, there's a fire just run'."
He praised the response of the emergency services, who brought his family and other residents to a hotel.
His wife and children were unhurt but devastated, he explained.
"The kids are only three and five and it's hard to listen to them asking those questions 'Are we going to go back to our house' and stuff like that, you know?"
Local Councillor Ellen Troy lives nearby and spoke to residents at the scene this morning.
"There are at least six apartments on the top floor with no roofs," she said, "I think it's going to be a long time before people are able to go back in."
Councillor Troy said the residents she spoke were glad to have got out safely but worried about possible water damage to their apartments and the cars in the underground car park.
She praised the response by the emergency services, adding that she hoped the person who was hospitalised would be ok.
Councillor Troy said the road at the apartment complex was blocked off.
Dublin Fire Service said four fire engines, a turntable ladder, an emergency tender and District Officer were dispatched to the scene.
They said two fire engines, two ambulances, an additional turntable ladder, Third Officer and Assistant Chief Fire Officer were requested to the scene.
Dublin Fire Brigade's logistics van also responded to the scene with additional breathing apparatus, cylinders and blankets for residents affected by the fire.
The entire complex had to be evacuated. A Dublin Fire Brigade double decker bus, along with two mini buses from the Civil Defence were sent to the scene to transport residents to emergency accommodation.
The fire was declared under control shortly after 5am this morning but fire crews remained at the scene, dampening down hotspots.
Gardaí attended as well as four fire engines and a drone unit.
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