Neighbours who rescued a mother and five of her six children from a house fire were yesterday praised by a senior fire officer who said their actions had saved lives. The sixth child, a one-year-old twin, was rescued by a fire-fighter from an upstairs bedroom in the house at Beechmount Drive, Cox's Demesne, Dundalk. Two of the children, including one of the twins, were said to be gravely ill last night.
The children were being raised by their mother in the three-bedroom terraced house, which was practically destroyed by the blaze.
Fire services spokesmen said the fire seemed to be accidental.
The mother was named yesterday as Ms Alice O'Rourke. Her children are Pamela (14), Philip (12), Padraig (8/9) and Stephen (6/7). The twins' names could not be confirmed last night
The alarm was raised by their nextdoor neighbour, Mr Christy Murtagh, who said he had heard children screaming. When he went outside he saw smoke billowing from the house and called the other next door neighbour to help him.
The men broke the diningroom window with a hammer and pulled one of the children and the mother to safety. They said a number of the children were in the sitting-room and up to two, including one of the twins, were upstairs.
Another neighbour, Mr Harry Kenna, ran up the stairs past flames to rescue the twin. The child was "jet-black from smoke" and had breathing difficulties.
Mr Murtagh said he was the first at the scene. "There was a lot of heat and smoke, but I did what any neighbour would do. There were other men on the scene within minutes and my wife phoned the fire brigade. We were just worried about trying to get the kids out and I didn't think of myself at the time."
Mr Neill Donohue, who was the second man to arrive, said: "I couldn't breathe with the smoke. The kids were all black, but they were alive and breathing."
All the children and their mother were taken to the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk and the children were transferred to the Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Crumlin Children's Hospital yesterday morning.
The house was sealed off and technically examined yesterday by gardai from Dundalk. The fire brigade is also carrying out an investigation. Initial indications are that the fire started on the ground floor, possibly in the hall.
The fire services' duty officer at the time, Mr Pat Clarke, said: "When we arrived, all but one infant in a back bedroom were out. It was a scene of disaster, with the people lying on the ground outside. He [Mr Murtagh] is a local hero. By the time we arrived, valuable time had been saved and they had done all they could. They saved lives."
Garda Supt Michael Staunton, Dundalk, said: "We are keeping an open mind and our investigation will determine exactly what happened. We are shocked by the extent of the fire and the number of injuries. Some of the children have serious burns, and with this happening on the eve of Christmas it serves as a reminder for everybody to be wary . . . "