Unexplained death investigated as man’s body found after house fire

Firefighters put out the blaze in Bluebell, Dublin and discovered remains

Gardaí at the scene of a  house fire in Bluebell in which a man’s body was found. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
Gardaí at the scene of a house fire in Bluebell in which a man’s body was found. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

Gardaí are investigating unexplained death of a man whose body was found at the scene of a small house fire in Bluebell in south Dublin on Monday.

Dublin Fire Brigade was alerted to a fire in the house on Bluebell Avenue in Dublin 12 just before noon.

Firefighters put out the blaze and discovered the body of a man, aged in his forties, in the house. “We are not quite sure what happened yet,” a garda source said. “There are a few things about the scene we are not happy with and we are keeping an open mind.”

Early indications suggest the man may not have been a resident of the house, sources said.

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The scene has been sealed off for technical examination and a garda forensics team has been examining the area since the early afternoon.

A Garda search team has also been using slash hooks to search the area around a near-by canal. The remains have now been removed from the scene having been photographed in-situ by a scenes of crime examiner.

Gardaí are also examining a burnt mattress which could be seen outside the house on Monday evening.

A postmortem will be carried out tomorrow to determine the cause of death and this will guide the direction of the investigation. A Garda source said they are not yet launching a murder investigation but that this may change.

“Gardaí are investigating the unexplained death of a man, believed to be aged in his 40s, that occurred at a house in the Bluebell Avenue area of Dublin 12,” a spokesman said.

"The scene remains preserved for examination by the Garda Technical Bureau. "

"Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information in relation to this incident to contact Clondalkin Garda station on 01-666 7600 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111," a spokesman said.

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher is Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times