A woman’s body was discovered in her bungalow up to two days after there had been a fire in it.
Gardaí were alerted by concerned members of the community in Falcarragh, Co Donegal, on Saturday night and officers had to break into the bungalow home of Bridie McFadden (40).
Her body was found in the hallway and there was evidence of a fire in the living room that had extinguished itself some time earlier.
There was no evidence of a blaze outside the house and most of the interior damage was caused by smoke.
All doors and windows were closed.
Garda Supt Eugene McGovern said yesterday that investigators had not ruled out the prospect that the blaze might have started in an electric fire. He added: “The fire appears to have been in the living room and it burned itself out quickly. Most of the damage seems to have been caused by smoke.
“It could have happened up to two days before the body was found.
“It appears the fire may have been extinguished because of a lack of oxygen.”
Ms McFadden lived alone in the house at Dunmore Lane, less than a kilometre from the village centre.
She had no children and was a native of nearby Rannafast.
She had been in the choir at her local Catholic church, St Fionán’s, for many years.
Prayers were said for her at both Masses yesterday morning.
Gardaí believe the fire was a tragic accident but forensics officers were still investigating it yesterday.