City Square security guard Michael Guinan has been praised for his role in rescuing a man from a burning building in Lady Lane on Sunday afternoon.
The man suffered bad burns during a fire on the top floor of the old St Vincent de Paul Men’s Hostel in Lady Lane, whilst serious damage was caused to the 300-year-old building.
Emergency services received a 999 call at 1.30pm alerting them to a blaze at the former hostel.
Mr Guinan said he was called to the scene by passers-by, who had heard an explosion and saw the flames. He spotted the man trapped inside the building through a downstairs window and managed to smash the window and assist the man to safety.
Units from Waterford Fire Service then arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire.
Gardai believe the fire started in an upstairs room before spreading into the attic area but it was contained within the building.
Manager Terence O’Neill said extensive fire and water damage had been done, particularly to an antique staircase at the centre of the three-storey building.
The hostel itself relocated to Bath Street about 18 months ago but Mr O’Neill said negotiations to sell the Lady Lane building were at an advanced stage with an interested purchaser.
The scene was preserved for a technical examination on Sunday and Lady Lane was closed to traffic for a time. The injured man has since been discharged from University Hospital Waterford.
Gardai say they are following a definite line of enquiry as to the cause of the blaze.
