Probe as ambulance explodes outside Mayo hospital

An investigation is taking place into the cause of an ambulance exploding at the ambulance HQ located at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar.

It is reported that the vehicle went up in flames due to a technical issue - and compounded by the fact there was an oxygen cylinder on board.

Many residents nearby were awoken by the noise generated by the explosion.

The ambulance was empty at the time of the incident shortly after 3 a.m. this morning and nobody was injured.

But a number of cars parked in vicinity were damaged.

The fire service and An Garda Siochána attended the scene where dark smoke was witnessed rising into the night sky, as evidenced in a videos posted on the Facebook page of RTE News and David Breen.

A section of the ambulance base is sealed off this morning as a technical investigation of the scene is taking place.

Gardai have confirmed the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

In a statement, the National Ambulance Service confirmed that a fire occurred involving one of our vehicles at Castlebar Station earlier today.

It continued: "The incident has resulted in substantial damage to the ambulance and damage to nearby buildings.

"The vehicle was not in use at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported.

"The safety of our staff and the public remains our top priority.

"An examination into the cause of the fire is now underway, supported by relevant authorities.

"Both the Sacred Heart Hospital and the National Ambulance service are operating as normal."