IKEA Ballymun evacuated after car goes up in flames

The IKEA store in Ballymun was evacuated following a fire.

Dublin Fire Brigade were alerted to the incident after a car went on fire in the car park earlier this afternoon. Dubliner Mark Fitzpatrick who was at IKEA when the alarm went off told Dublin Live: “There was an announcement saying there’s technical issues going on and then all of a sudden the fire alarm started going off. I could smell burning in one part.”

Mark went on to praise the quick-thinking staff who helped bring his son Eric, who uses a wheelchair, to a safe spot. He said: “In fairness, the staff were absolutely amazing. They ushered everyone else but when they saw us – our son is in a wheelchair – they stayed with us and brought us to the exit where there’s chairs to slide down the stairs.”

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Two of the IKEA staff members stayed with Mark and his family in the stairwell until they were given the all-clear. He said: “It turned out there was no need [to evacuate] in the end because the fire brigade had the fire under control.

“They were saying if the fire had been a danger to us they would’ve removed us.” Mark the whole incident took about 40 minutes.

He said: “It was a full evacuation. All the food was left on the table.”

A Dublin Fire Brigade spokesperson said on X: “Firefighters have extinguished a vehicle fire in a car park in #Ballymun. Smoke was visible in the area but the incident was quickly resolved.”

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