Donegal Daily yesterday carried an article regarding fire safety issues at more than 50 centres housing international protection applicants across the country.
Our report centred on conditions at the Sailors Rest accommodation centre in Buncrana.
In our report, we stated that the report said the Buncrana centre had ‘serious fire safety concerns’ and that the centre posed “a major fire risk.”
We fully accept that these terms were never used in the report relating to the Buncrana centre and that this is not the case.
The report on the Sailors Rest centre identified only procedural matters relating to a single fire-drill exercise.
The report expressly concluded that the centre “appears to be well-run” and that “residents spoken to expressed satisfaction with being there.”
While the centre had 135 registered residents at that time, only 86 residents were physically present in the building during the drill.
The remainder were off-site because of night-shift work, education programmes, or medical and official appointments, including some in Dublin. The inspection figure therefore reflects residents on-site at the moment of the drill, not residents failing to evacuate.
In addition, since opening, the Sailors Rest centre has maintained a valid subcontractor for emergency-lighting systems, with all inspection certificates current and in place.
The inspection note referring to subcontractor verification was purely administrative and did not suggest any lapse in compliance.
Following the 7th January fire drill, procedures at the Buncrana centre were further strengthened, including increased communication and varied drill scheduling.
The next unannounced fire drill on 15th March, two months later, saw 124 residents on-site, 124 residents evacuated, and the full evacuation took just six minutes.
More importantly, an earlier unannounced drill took place on 8 December 2024, when 53 residents were present and all 53 evacuated in 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
These results demonstrate strong fire-safety performance both before and after the January drill, with the January outcome reflecting resident movement on the day rather than emergency preparedness.
It should also be noted that the building has 11 fire exits (more than is needed for a building of this size), a valid fire-safety certificate, and a fully IS-compliant smoke and heat detection system with 160 detectors throughout the building, supported by a comprehensive emergency lighting system and extensive fire extinguishers. All equipment is regularly tested, and all staff are trained in fire-safety procedures.
Donegal Daily accepts that the IPAS inspection report did not identify a “major fire risk” and that all emergency-lighting systems at the Buncrana centre are certified by a valid subcontractor.
We also accept that only 86 residents were present during the drill for legitimate reasons.
The report’s concluding statement reads “The centre appears to be well-run, and residents spoken to expressed satisfaction with being there. The owners continue to update the premises.”
The operators of the centre say misrepresenting the facility as a “major fire risk” fosters unwarranted fear and directly endangers residents and staff.
“Such false reporting risks inciting hostility and far-right targeting at a time when accommodation centres have been subjected to arson attacks,” said a spokesperson.
We accept that the article was not balanced and we apologise unreservedly to the operators of the centre for any distress we have caused them, their families or the occupants of the centre.
The article fell below the standard we believe we should reach when reporting on issues of such importance for our readers.
Clarification: Sailors Rest accommodation centre, Buncrana was last modified: November 6th, 2025 by Staff Writer