Man’s death may be linked to fumes from burning rubbish in house

A man in his 70s found dead in a house in Waterford last night may have been overcome by fumes from material he had been burning.

A postmortem is being carried out on Wednesday on the body of the man who was found unconscious at his home at Connolly Place in Waterford city, shortly after 6pm.

Foul play is not suspected, and it is believed the man may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Initial reports suggested there had been a gas leak, but that has been ruled out as a cause of death by gardaí and Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), whose personnel attended the scene on Tuesday evening.

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Investigations were opened by Waterford gardaí, the local fire service and GNI following the discovery of the man’s body.

A Garda spokesman said investigators are “keeping an open mind” in relation to the cause of the man’s death but that the outcome of the postmortem at University Hospital Waterford will influence their thinking.

Asked about reports that the man may have been burning material in the house that could have caused toxic fumes, the garda said: “I wouldn’t rule it out. Fumes have to come from something.”

Gardaí have preserved the scene for a full technical examination. No other homes had to be evacuated.

The man had been living alone in the single-storey terraced house in a long-standing residential area of the city for a long time.

Cllr Sean Reinhardt, mayer of the Waterford Metropolitan District, visited the scene last night and pointed out it was the second major incident to strike the city in 48 hours, following an explosion in a house on Ballytruckle Road that left a man with serious burns to his hands.

“Perhaps we need more awareness and some more checks just to make sure everyone is safe and sound where they live,” he told WLRFM.