Bolt of lightning thought to be responsible for fire at Michael Healy-Rae's office

A bolt of lightning may have been responsible for the fire which struck the Kilgarvan commercial complex and office belonging to the Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae this morning.

The high-profile local politician has been released from hospital in Tralee where he had been treated for smoke inhalation after putting out the fire in his shop.

The TD’s Kilgarvan village complex houses his post office and the regional post sorting office for Kenmare and that part of south Kerry as well as his political office and shop, petrol pumps and cafe.

Michael Healy-Rae and his brother and fellow independent TD Danny, who owns a pub in the village, used fire extinguishers to tackle the minor fire believed to have started in the fuse board area at the back of the Michael Healy-Rae Mace Shop and post office.

The buildings have not suffered serious damage. One unit of the fire service attended.

Michael Healy-Rae, however, suffered smoke inhalation and was treated at University Hospital Kerry. Gardaí are not treating the fire as suspicious and say all early indications are that it was accidental.

His brother Danny Healy-Rae told Radio Kerry “he’s fine” and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure for an x-ray.

Locals believe a bolt of lightning may have struck the fuse board. There was severe lightning and thunder in the Kilgarvan and Mangerton areas.

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It is the latest accident in recent years to befall the independent TD, author and businessman.

In March 2016, he was tossed by a cow who had calved on his farm leaving him needing hospital treatment. Almost exactly a year later he nearly choked while eating a chicken dinner.