TWO PEOPLE were killed in house fires in Cork and Galway yesterday.
Gardaí are satisfied there was nothing suspicious about a house fire which claimed the life of an elderly widow in Co Cork. They have described Kathleen Murphy’s death as “a tragic accident”.
The 72-year-old, who lived alone, died when fire broke out at her two-storey detached house at Middle Road in Crosshaven sometime before 5am. Neighbours spotted the blaze at about 4.50am and alerted the emergency services. Units of the Cork County Fire Service from both Crosshaven and Carrigaline were quickly on the scene.
However, the house was well ablaze and it took firefighters using breathing apparatus some time to bring it under control and make the house safe for entry.
The house was badly damaged and both the roof and a number of internal walls had collapsed, making conditions extremely difficult.
Firefighters recovered Ms Murphy’s body just before midday in a downstairs sitting room where she had been sleeping in recent times, and she was later pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor.
Ms Murphy’s body was later removed to Cork University Hospital for a postmortem by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster to establish the exact cause of death.
A Garda technical team carried out a forensic examination to establish the cause of the blaze and they traced the seat of the fire to close to the fireplace in the living room. Gardaí believe burning ashes or embers may have fallen out of the fireplace and set the surrounding area alight with the fire quickly spreading throughout the house.
Local parish priest Fr Patrick Stevenson said the entire community of Crosshaven was shocked by the news as Ms Murphy was well known in the area, being a native of the seaside village.
“She was very well known in the village – her two daughters, Eleanor and Janet, and her son Frank all live locally so they would be very settled here in Crosshaven,” he said.
“It’s a terrible tragedy which has left everyone stunned – we usually say a rosary before Mass but this morning people were just too shocked as the news came through.
“I called to a lot of Mrs Murphy’s neighbours on Middle Road – a lot of them would be elderly – and they were all just stunned. It’s a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”
Meanwhile in south Co Galway, a man in his late forties lost his life when fire engulfed a house at Cregg, Abbey, Loughrea, yesterday morning. Two other people who were in the house at the time managed to escape and raise the alarm around 9am yesterday.
Fire crews from Portumna and Loughrea rushed to the scene and brought the fire in the house under control.
The body of the deceased man was taken to University Hospital Galway for a postmortem.
The two people who were in the house were taken to the same hospital in Galway city where they were treated for smoke inhalation.