A 26-year-old woman and her four-year-old son were in hospital last night after a house fire that claimed the life of her younger son in Cork yesterday.
Stacey Ellard (26) and son Calvin are being treated at Cork University Hospital.
However, Ms Ellard's youngest child, Cian, died after being overcome by smoke during the blaze.
Cork City Fire Brigade officer Edward Buckley said officers were met by "heartbreaking" scenes when they attended at the blaze at Elm Park in Wilton on the southside of the city shortly after 4am yesterday.
All three members of the family were found in an upstairs bedroom.
"There was a lot of sad men going home this morning.
"They found the first casualty, the youngest child, and he was in bed with the mother possibly sleeping on top of her. CPR was performed on both children and the mother," said Mr Buckley.
"There was an immediate response from the four-year-old but sadly the little two-year-old died. It was a fairly extensive fire."
Mr Buckley said the fire appeared to have been a "tragic accident". It broke out in the downstairs kitchen before spreading upstairs.
When firefighters arrived at 4.05am yesterday they found that the front door had already been forced open by neighbours, who had also smashed a window in an attempt to come to the assistance of the family.
Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus extinguished the flames downstairs as they attempted to gain access to the main family bedroom in which the mother of two was sleeping with her children.
There was no evidence of foul play in the blaze. Forensic examinations of the scene were being carried out yesterday in an effort to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Ms Ellard is originally from Ilen Court in nearby Togher.
Local parish priest Fr Robert Brophy said every effort would be made to support the family in such difficult circumstances.
"Our heart goes out to them. It must be a nightmare for any parent to experience," he said.
"It is a very supportive and united community. People are very distressed. I went to see the family in hospital this morning," Fr Brophy said.
Former city councillor and secretary of the Togher Community Association, Fergal Dennehy, said Cian's death was a tragedy for the community.
"The bank holiday weekend is a time for families and fun. It is soul-destroying to see this happen. We extend our condolences to the family and our thoughts are also with the mother and child in hospital," he said.
A neighbour of the Ellard family, Menouer Boubekeur, who has lived in Elm Park for six years, said it was not "easy news to digest" and that everyone in the area was saddened to see a child lose his life so tragically.
A second neighbour, who declined to be named, described Stacey Ellard as a lady and a kind and loving mother.
Ms Ellard's surviving child, Calvin, is in junior infants in a local national school and went on his mid-term break last Friday.
Gardaí have appealed to the public to be aware of fire safety, particularly before they go to bed at night.
Householders are asked to "double check" the status of electrical appliances and are advised to ensure all escape routes are clear of obstructions, as its easy to trip in the dark.
Householders should also check that candles and naked flames are extinguished and that a fireguard is placed in front of any open fire.