NEIGHBOURS and friends of an elderly couple who died after a fire at their home in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, yesterday spoke of their shock at the tragedy.
A popular couple with many friends in the Abbeyside district of the town, Mr Jack Maye (80) and his wife, Kitty (81), lived in an end house in St Patrick's Terrace.
They were among the oldest residents of the estate and were seen regularly in the local supermarket or strolling together in the afternoon.
Both Mr and Mrs Maye were smokers, and it is thought a smouldering cigarette on a sofa in the living room may have led to the blaze which engulfed the house as the Mayes slept.
Mrs Maye, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, was a day patient at St Joseph's Geriatric Hospital in Dungarvan.
Each day at 9.30 am. she was collected by taxi and brought to the hospital. In the afternoon she and her husband would stroll to a park bench in Abbeyside, where they would sit and talk to passers-by.
The alarm was raised by a hackney driver, Mr John McCarthy, when he went to collect Mrs Maye shortly before 9.30 a.m. yesterday.
Gardai from Dungarvan were on the scene within minutes, but were unable to enter the house because of the density of the smoke.
When three units of the local fire brigade arrived, firemen using breathing apparatus managed to reach the couple's bedroom.
When the Mayes were taken from the house, an attempt was made by Dr David Mahony to revive them, but they had died from the effects of smoke inhalation.
Dr Mahony told The Irish Times there was no question of being able to reach the couple without specialised equipment. He said it was probable they had been overcome by smoke as they slept during the night.
The bodies were brought from the house to the Waterford Regional Hospital.
The couple's daughter, Ms Delia Maye Leahy, arrived back in Dungarvan yesterday morning, having attended her father-in-law's funeral in Britain.
Last night she was being comforted by family and friends.
Mr Mick Cosgrave, a near neighbour and close friend of the couple, said: "They were fine people. You never saw one without the other. They went everywhere together.
"Kitty was born and bred in Abbeyside and Jack was a Kilmacthomas man who lived here most of his life," he said.
I suppose I've known them for the past 60 years. She wasn't well of late, but Jack was in very good health and in great form. He'd have two pints in O'Connor's pub every night and he loved company.
It's an awful way for a couple to end their days. People around here are just stunned by the news, Mr Cosgrave said.
His wife, Mrs Biddy Cosgrave, who went to school with Mrs Maye, said the neighbourhood was numbed by news of the tragedy.
Mr Sean Needham, who also olives nearby, heard the news almost immediately. "I saw the gardai and the fire brigade, and I knew something was wrong.
"I knew them very well, they were lovely, quiet people. The mood is very sad," he said.
"Every-one was shocked when they realised what had happened. The two of them would sit on the park bench in the afternoon and chat to people as they went by. That's what they did every day like clockwork."
They were a very nice couple," said Mrs Mary Fennell. "I would see them going up and down to Mass. The husband was in good health, but Mrs Maye wasn't very well.
"It's such a shock to think that they died like that," she added.
Another, neighbour, Mrs Jenny Phelan, said she was too upset to visit the scene of the fire. "I don't want to go over there. There's an air of depression around here. People are, very upset."
Gardai in Dungarvan said they were satisfied the couple died ash the result of an accidental fire.