A BOY aged five and his 25-year-old aunt who perished in a house fire in Cork earlier this year died of smoke and fire gas inhalation, an inquest has heard.
Inquests into the deaths of Ryan O’Dwyer Hayes, Sun Valley Court, Fairhill, and his aunt, Helena O’Dwyer, of Nutley Avenue in Mahon, were opened and adjourned by coroner Dr Myra Cullinane at Cork City Coroner’s Court yesterday. The boy and his aunt, a mother of one, died after the fire at the O’Dwyer family home at Nutley Avenue in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning, April 24th last.
Relatives and family friends assembled at the courthouse on Washington Street to hear details of the causes of both deaths as outlined in postmortem reports compiled by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.
Gardaí are continuing to investigate the exact cause of the blaze. Files in relation to both deaths are being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Garda Insp John Deasy said. He sought a six-month adjournment of proceedings pending completion of the inquiry and direction from the DPP.
Ms O’Dwyer died as she tried to rescue her nephew Ryan from an upstairs bedroom in the house. Six other family members managed to escape the blaze unharmed.
Extending the court’s sympathies to the family, Dr Cullinane adjourned proceedings until February 24th next year.