GARDAÍ HAVE ruled out foul play in their investigation into the cause of a blaze which claimed the lives of two pensioners early yesterday.
The bodies of Michael Coleman (88) and his sister Nora Coleman (85) were recovered by fire fighters from their cottage in east Cork, following the fire which broke out at about 5am.
It is understood Mr Coleman’s body was recovered from the hallway while Ms Coleman’s body was found near her bedroom at the back of the house. It is thought that one may have been trying to help the other escape from their home at Rathcoursey, East Ferry, about six miles from Midleton.
The alarm was raised by neighbours at 5.15am when they noticed smoke emanating from the house. Units of the Cork County Fire Service from Midleton and Cobh responded quickly with firefighters retrieving both casualties.
The victims of the fire were pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor and their bodies were removed to Cork University Hospital where postmortem examinations were carried out by a pathologist yesterday.
Gardaí cordoned off the house when the blaze had been brought under control and the building made safe for a technical examination.
Garda technical experts began a forensic examination of the scene to try to establish how and where the fire began. Although gardaí were awaiting the results of a number of tests, all indications were that there was nothing suspicious about the blaze.
Mr Coleman, a former fisherman, and his sister had lived together for most of their lives at the family home which is situated on the eastern edge of Cork Harbour.
Local Aghada parish priest, Fr Denis Kelleher, spoke of the great sadness and shock in the local community as news broke early yesterday of the tragedy which claimed the lives of the two pensioners he described as “great people”.
“Michael was known as ‘Colsy’ to his friends. He had a great knowledge of the locality and of the weather – he could read the signs and tell you what was coming,” said Fr Kelleher at St Eramus’s Church in Aghada.
“Nora had spent time working in England during the war but returned again to the family home. They lived there together and they looked after each other, and they used to attend Mass regularly together,” added Fr Kelleher. “They stood out in the community in their own way, they were well liked. Their neighbours were very good to them. It’s very tragic, everyone is shocked by it,” he added.
Witnesses to the fire are asked to contact Midleton gardaí on (021) 4621550.