Three die in fires, four in crashes

A faulty electric heater is believed to have caused a fire early yesterday at Clifton Terrace, Monkstown, Co Dublin, in which a woman in her 60s was killed and four fire-fighters were injured.

Garda technical experts said yesterday the most likely cause was faulty wiring in the heater. The woman was alone when fire broke out shortly after 4 a.m.

Six units of Dublin Fire Brigade were at the scene. One of the injured fire-fighters was admitted to St Vincent's Hospital. The adjoining house, which was unoccupied, was also extensively damaged.

In another fire which started at about 3 a.m. yesterday in Bride Street, Dublin, a mother and her two children were rescued by fire-fighters who used extension ladders to reach their flat.

The woman (39) and her sons, aged 15 and four, were hospitalised suffering from severe smoke inhalation and minor burns.

In Northern Ireland two men died in separate fires on Christmas Eve. At Culleybackey, Co Antrim, the body of a 51-year-old man was found shortly before 3 p.m. in his home, which the RUC said showed signs of a recent fire.

The body of a man believed to be in his mid-70s who appeared to have suffered severe burns was found outside his caravan near Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, shortly before 2 p.m.

In west Donegal, a house adjoining the Doonbeg Electronics plant in Rannafast was destroyed late on Christmas Day. Six occupants escaped unhurt.

A male driver was killed and a second motorist was injured in a two-car collision outside Killarney, Co Kerry, yesterday evening.

The dead driver was in his 40s and lived locally. The accident occurred on the Killarney-Cork road at 5.15 p.m.

In Co Clare, Mr Stephen Moran (25), of Ard na Mhara, Shannon town, died after he was hit by a car near Hurlers' Cross, outside Shannon, on Christmas Eve.

Mr Moran was the father of a nine-week-old baby who is due to be christened next week.

Gardai in Co Louth have named the pedestrian who was killed after being knocked down last Thursday at Dromad, on the main Dundalk-Newry road, as Mr Liam Bergin (62), from Kilcurry.

The RUC has named the 21-year-old man who was killed in a single-car accident at Rasharkin, Co Antrim, at about 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve as Mr Robert Paul Armstrong, of Kilrea, Co Derry.