Donation page for Irishman killed in Greece fires raises €6,300

A fundraising page for the wife of the Irishman killed in the wildfires in Greece last week has exceeded its target, raising €6,300 in two days.

Brian O’Callaghan-Westropp was one of 91 people killed in the worst wildfires to hit Greece in over a decade. Last Monday he became separated from his wife Zoe Holohan as they fled the blaze which broke out in the town of Mati, some 30km from Athens.

The pair were married only a number of days beforehand, and had flown to Greece on the Saturday for their honeymoon, after their wedding at Clonabreany House in Kells, Co Meath.

Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp worked for a catering company Ready Chef, and also volunteered with Blood Bikes East, who deliver medical supplies such as blood and transplant tissue to hospitals. He was studying for an MBA at the National College of Ireland (NCI), and was in his final year.

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Shortly after the news that Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp was one of those who died in the blaze, a GoFundMe fundraising page was set up by his NCI classmates, with a target of €5,000.

“The entire proceeds of this fundraiser will go directly to Brian’s wife Zoe to try to help her through this most difficult time,” the page said.

On Monday some €6,300 had been raised, with 193 people donating to the fundraiser in two days.

Ms Holohan works in the advertising department at the Sunday World, and is still in hospital receiving treatment for burns she suffered to her head and hands.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said they would not be making any comment at this time in relation to when Mr O’Callaghan-Westropp’s body would be returned to Ireland.

Fake

In recent days a separate, fake fundraising page was set up, posing as the voluntary group Blood Bikes East on a site GoGetFunding.

In a post on Facebook, Blood Bikes East warned people of the fraudulent page "collecting in memory of our friend and colleague Brian."

The fundraising appeal was titled “Memory of Brian O’Callaghan-Westropp.” A screenshot of the page taken by Blood Bikes East showed it had not raised any money, of a €5,000 target it had set.

The group reported the fake fundraiser to An Garda Síochána and the online fundraising site. The page was then removed.

“We are shocked that there are people in this world that would look to profit from this terrible situation,” the group said.

“If any official funding page is setup in future, we will confirm on this [FACEBOOK]page and on our website,” it said.