An elderly couple have died in a fire in Co Tipperary.
The blaze broke out at a house in Scalagheen, on the outskirts of Tipperary town, at about 8.30pm yesterday.
They have been named locally as Siobhán and Seán Kavanagh.
Their bodies have been removed to Waterford Regional Hospital where postmortems will take place later today, a Garda statement said.
The scene of the fire remains sealed off pending a Garda forensic examination.
At this stage gardai believe the fire started accidentally.
Shocked locals said the couple, who are understood to be in their 70s and early 80s, had lived in the rural area all their lives.
Archdeacon Matthew McGrath of Tipperary town said local people were "saddened beyond description".
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, he said Ms Kavanagh had been a very active member of the local Legion of Mary and had attended Mass every day. She was a good worker in the community and looked after anyone who was housebound or ill, Mr McGrath said.
Mr Kavanagh had not been well in recent years.
Mr McGrath said it was terrible that the couple had died in such circumstances within a week of Christmas.
Councillor Anna Tuohy-Halligan said the news broke just after a meeting with council colleagues.
“I can’t believe it. No one can believe it. We’ve all just heard and everybody is in shock,” she said.
“They were a lovely couple. Nobody knows the details about what happened. It’s just a shame.”
Gardaí and fire crews are investigating the circumstances surrounding the blaze, which it is not believed to be suspicious.
Additional reporting: PA