A man injured in a house fire in west Dublin on St Stephen's Day, in which a mother of nine died, remained in a critical condition in Tallaght Hospital last night.
The man was trapped inside the house at Harelawn Avenue, Clondalkin, when it caught fire at 8.30 p.m. He was taken from the building along with Ms Esther O'Connor, a widow in her 40s, who was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
There were five other people in the house at the time, including two of Ms O'Connor's sons, and one of her daughters.
Two of the five were taken to hospital but their injuries were said not to be serious.
Garda∅ in Ronanstown are investigating the incident. They said no cause had been identified yet although it was possible faulty Christmas lights had sparked the fire.
A Garda spokesman said there was no reason to think it was started maliciously.
Last night, garda∅ said it would take some time before the source of the fire could be located.
Investigations were continuing, according to a spokesman, but it was too early to identify the exact cause of the blaze.