An elderly Co Mayo man died when fire destroyed the bedroom of his home early yesterday, writes Tom Shiel in Castlebar.
Gardaí believe that a burning cigarette may have caused the death of Mr Jimmy McHale (74), a single man, who lived alone at Boradruma, Castlebar.
Mr McHale was a retired school bus driver and had also worked as a part-time fireman.
The alarm was raised at about 5.30 a.m. by Mr McHale's sister- in-law, who lives next door.
The woman spotted smoke coming from Mr McHale's chimney when she got up to go to the bathroom.
She and her husband, the victim's brother, had a key to Mr McHale's house and discovered his body on a bed in his smoke-filled bedroom. Castlebar Fire Brigade was alerted and arrived on the scene.
Neighbours yesterday recalled Mr McHale as a "friendly, approachable man who did nothing but good in the community". Mr McHale is the third person to die in a fire in Castlebar this week.
The funerals of Mr Anthony Magnone and his six-year-old daughter Toiri, who were killed on Saturday night in a fire at their home in Castlehill Park, took place in Ballina, Co Mayo, yesterday.
Mr Magnone (35), a construction worker, was from Monaghan and had moved from Ballina to Castlebar with his family just six months earlier.
He succeeded in rescuing one daughter, four-year-old Dawn, when a fire broke out in the semi-detached home he rented with his partner, Ms Gloria Nealon.
Relatives and friends of Mr Magnone from his native Co Monaghan travelled to Mayo for the double funeral. Eight priests joined with the chief celebrant, Father Gabriel Rosebotham, in the concelebrated Mass.
The father and daughter were brought in separate hearses to Ballinaheglish cemetery, about three miles from Ballina.
The coffins were laid to rest side by side.