Three family members have been killed in a house fire in Waterford city.
Joanna O'Reagan (32), her husband Brian O'Reagan (32) and their 18-month-old baby daughter Niamh died in a fire at their home on Ardmore Terrace in the Ballybeg estate. Three other children, Cian (10), Briana (7) and Aaron (5) escaped from the house.
The blaze was reported in the house at around 2.15am. When emergency services personnel arrived, they found three children outside the house.
The husband and wife and the baby girl were found upstairs. All three were later pronounced dead.
The three other children are being treated in hospital.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. A Garda technical team is examining the scene of the fire.
Witnesses today described how the mother was seen at a window holding her toddler but could not throw her to safety.
"Two of the neighbours went to the back of the house with ladders, but they couldn't get in," a neighbour said. "The fire was too intense ,and they couldn't break the windows because they were all double glazing.
"I think the mother had the child in her arms at one stage and was trying to throw the child out the window but she couldn't get her child out. The gardaí did their best but they couldn't get in."
The neighbour described how gardaí and up to six fire engines attended the scene. "Seemingly the children got out, then they got the baby out and then the mother and father but it was too late. The baby went to hospital and died later on in hospital."
"They were only a young couple with four lovely children," the neighbour told RTÉ radio. "They lived for their children. They were lovely people. They were lovely neighbours, you couldn't meet nicer."