A fire which seriously damaged Charlies Bar and neighbouring business Bar One Racing is not being treated from a criminal perspective, a member of the local Garda confirmed to the Athlone Advertiser on Tuesday.
Sergeant Andrew Haran stated that upon the conclusion of a technical examination of the site there was “no reason to believe that the fire was the result of a criminal act”.
The fire at the popular pub, located opposite Athlone Institute of Technology, is believed to have started at 5.30am on Sunday morning and was attended to by three units of the local fire brigade.
Charlies Bar had recently reopened following its closure in 2020 due to Covid-19 public health measures.
Meanwhile, two persons were hospitalised following a single vehicle crash in close proximity to the N6 bypass at Coosan.
The incident, which occurred at 12.30am on Monday morning, resulted in the driver and passenger of the car sustaining fractures which are not life threatening.
According to Sergeant the car was travelling eastbound when it crashed through a barrier and ended up close to the Coosan exit.
