Elderly man dies in house fire in Co Cork

Gardaí have ruled out foul play in the death of a pensioner in a house fire in Co Cork.

A technical examination confirmed that fire was caused by an electrical fault in a downstairs room.

Jack Mulvey, who was in his early 80s, died when a fire broke out at his dormer semi-detached cottage at Knockbrack in Buttevant at around 8.30pm on Friday.

A neighbour raised the alarm and two gardaí, who were on checkpoint duty on the main Cork-Limerick Road on the outskirts of Buttevant town, were at the scene within minutes.

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Garda John Fitzgerald and Garda Philip O'Neill managed to get a ladder to the upstairs dormer bedroom window but were unable to get out Mr Mulvey, who was trapped in the room.

Mallow Fire Brigade were also quickly on the scene and brought the blaze under control.

They later recovered Mr Mulvey who was pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor.

Mr Mulvey’s 48-year-old nephew, Terence, suffered a number of broken bones when he jumped from an upstairs bedroom.

He is currently recovering from his injuries at Cork University Hospital.

Gardaí cordoned off the scene overnight and a garda technical expert carried out a forensic examination of the scene on Saturday to try and establish the exact cause of the fire.

It is understood that gardaí are satisfied from the technical examination that the fire was caused by an electrical fault in a downstairs living room area and foul play has been ruled out.

Mr Mulvey’s body was removed to Cork University Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Gardaí said a file will now be prepared on his death for an inquest at the coroner’s court.

Mr Mulvey’s death is the second such fire tragedy in the Knockbrack area and follows a fatality in the adjoining semi-detached dormer cottage some 25 years ago.