A 62-year-old man was killed and his sister critically injured in a house fire in north Tipperary yesterday.
The dead man who was named locally as Mattie Joe Gleeson died after a blaze broke out at his home in Munnia, Killoscully, Co Tipperary, early yesterday morning.
His 64-year-old sister Mary Gleeson suffered serious injuries in the blaze and was transferred from hospital in Limerick to Cork University Hospital yesterday where she was being treated for severe burns.
Shocked neighbours of the siblings whose home was completely destroyed in the blaze gathered at the scene yesterday.
The small bungalow is located in the townland area of Munnia about a mile from the village of Killoscully on the main road to Newport.
Locals said Mr Gleeson was wheelchair bound and his sister used to care for him at their home.
They described the siblings as well known in the area and extremely highly respected in the community.
Gardaí at Nenagh said they were alerted to the blaze at 5am yesterday and fire units from Newport and Limerick helped battle the blaze.
The occupants of the house were taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick where a postmortem was carried out yesterday on the body of Mr Gleeson.
His sister was transferred to Cork University Hospital where her condition was described as “critical” last night.
Fire crews and scenes of crime officers were yesterday still examining the scene of the blaze, which is not believed to be suspicious.
Gardaí at Newport are investigating.