SIX fire crews were needed to put out a large fire which gutted a derelict landmark hospital building in Ireland.
The blaze at the former St Kevin’s Hospital in Shanakiel, Cork, has now been brought under control after eight hours on fire.
St Kevin’s, which was part of the former Our Lady’s psychiatric asylum, was first reported to be ablaze at 8.30pm last night.
Dramatic photos and drone footage shows gigantic flames ripping through the five-storey Victorian building, built in 1840s to house 490 patients.
The imposing red brick building fell into disuse in the early 1990s.
It is one of Cork's most iconic landmarks and dominates the skyline of the River Lee and Carrigrohane Road area of the city.
According to Cork’s Evening Echo, it is believed the fire erupted within a lower room in the middle section of the large complex.
It spread quickly within the building and, at one point, flames could be seen raging above its roof.
The tall plume of smoke from the burning structure could be seen all over Cork's skyline.
A safety cordon was put in place around the building though no residential properties nearby are believed to be in any danger.
Two units of the fire brigade remain at the scene this morning, while an investigations begins into how the fire started.
The building has been subject to many incidences of vandalism since it became derelict in 2002.
