A mother and her three-year-old son lost their lives when their three-bedroom terraced house was destroyed by fire on the north side of Cork early yesterday morning. The woman was named as Ms Lorraine Sheehan (25) of Churchfield Gardens. She was found in the charred house with the body of her son, Glenn.
Her partner, Mr Richard O'Neill, who managed to escape from the blazing house with the couple's two-year-old daughter, Caitlin, tried to return to save Ms Sheehan and their son but was driven back by the intensity of the blaze.
Mr O'Neill and his son were treated at the Mercy Hospital and released later. A fireman, suffering from facial burns, was also treated at the hospital but was subsequently released.
The Cork City Fire Brigade was alerted shortly after 7.30 a.m. Three units of the service responded to the call, but when they arrived at Churchfield Gardens, the fire was already raging.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, although a chip pan may have been involved, according to Garda sources. A forensic examination was carried out yesterday but gardaí said the blaze was not being treated as suspicious. A post-mortem examination of the bodies was carried out last night.
Neighbours gathered at the house yesterday and spoke of their shock. One man who tried to force his way into the house said his efforts were impossible because of the smoke, heat and flames. "There was no way in, it was useless," he added.
Cork Fire Brigade units rescued three people from a fire at the Boreenmanna Road, where a three-storey house was badly damaged by fire yesterday morning. Nobody was injured in a third house fire, in the Mayfield area.