Relatives of the two young boys who died on Sunday at a caravan fire in Clondalkin, west Dublin, have said the tragedy could have been averted if the local council had not deactivated their electricity bays.
Winnie McGinley, grandmother of Michael, who would have been three at Christmas, and Joe McGinley (22 months), who died in the fire, said yesterday that South Dublin County Council had deactivated the electricity bays in their area of the halting site.
As a result, she said, the family were forced to connect wires to other electricity bays. This may have led to the fire, she said.
The cause of the fire had not been established last night. Gardaí carrying out a forensic examination to determine the cause said they hoped to complete their examination by today.
The Irish Traveller Movement said yesterday that the McGinley family were evicted by the council some time ago and when they returned following legal action, their electricity bays were not reactivated.
"The ultimate responsibility for the health and safety at the Clondalkin halting site is with the local authority. In this case, that is the South Dublin County Council," a spokeswoman said.
The ESB carried out an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire yesterday at Oldcastle Close, off Nangor Road. An ESB spokesman said the local authority was responsible for the distribution of electricity in the halting site through the electricity bays.
The council released a statement offering its condolences to the McGinley family but declined to comment further.
At the Clondalkin halting site yesterday, the extended McGinley family expressed anger as well as grief at the circumstances in which the two boys died. "I think it was an electrical fault. It couldn't have been gas because that had all been used up in the morning," said Winnie McGinley.
The two boys are survived by their parents, Lisa and Willie McGinley, and five-month-old sister, Megan. "Megan is fine. She is only five months so she doesn't know what's going on," said Lisa McGinley yesterday.
Hilda Doherty, Ms McGinley's sister, said: "There are 45 of us from the McGinley family in this part of the halting site with no electricity of our own, only one toilet and one hose. One hose wasn't going to put out that fire. I have been asking the council for electricity and running water in each caravan since January last year."
Anne McGinley, Mr McGinley's sister, was minding the two boys when the fire broke out. She had left them momentarily to get water just yards away when the fire started, according to family members.
When she returned the caravan was ablaze. Anne McGinley tried to enter the caravan but was unable to because of the smoke, said family members. She then pulled off the caravan window but was unable to rescue the boys, added Winnie McGinley.
Anne McGinley burned her hands and received hospital treatment.