It was business as usual for Meath Civil Defence over Christmas

The damage to the Meath Civil Defence Headquarters which occurred during a devastating fire on 21st December did not prevent the council carrying out its work as usual over the Christmas and New Year period.

A spokesperson for Meath County Council said that the damage at the Moat View House building at Mullaghboy Industrial estate was still being assessed.

"Despite the damage to the building, Meath Civil Defence continues to operate as normal," he said.

The blaze which broke out around 4pm on Sunday, 21st December, caused extensive damage to the headquarters in Navan and saw vital emergency equipment including fire engines, ambulances and rescue boats destroyed. The building was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries.

Fire doors in the building, which was opened in October 2020 at a cost of over €2.6 million, prevented the fire spreading to the training room and offices.

It is believed the devastating fire started accidentally with Garda examinations indicating that foul play is not suspected. Since the blaze offers of support from neighbouring county Civil Defence teams have flooded in.

Meath Civil Defence has two staff members and 180 volunteers throughout the county.