Woman dies in early morning blaze in Mullingar

Gardaí in Mullingar are investigating the cause of a fire in the town early yesterday morning, which left one woman dead and one man injured.

The fire is believed to have started in the upstairs bedroom of the house at Patrick Street at about 4 a.m. Ms Helen Quinn (54) was removed to Mullingar hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Her partner suffered smoke inhalation injuries and is being treated in hospital.

The scene was preserved for examination by gardaí yesterday morning. The damage to the house was limited.

"Helen is a native of the town, from Canal Avenue. She will be sadly missed by a lot of people," said one neighbour.