Postmortems are being carried out today on two victims of a fatal house fire early on Saturday morning in Co Kerry.
Anthony O’Brien (30) and daughter Nadine died at a house in Killeen Heights, Tralee. The girl’s mother, in her late 20s, escaped by jumping from an upstairs window. She sustained a broken leg and is being treated in Kerry General Hospital.
The alarm was raised by neighbours shortly after 2.30am. Two units of the fire service, from Tralee and Castleisland, attended the scene.
Using breathing apparatus, firefighters recovered the bodies of the man and the girl, believed to be his daughter, from upstairs. The bodies were taken to Kerry General Hospital.
Postmortems will be carried out by assistant State pathologist Margot Bolster.
Gardaí are are treating the cause of the blaze as accidental, and the house has been sealed off for examination.
Tralee mayor Grace O’Donnell said the community was devastated. “Where this family were living is a wonderful community, and I’m sure they’ll be there for the family,” she said. “The people of Tralee will be there to help in whatever way we can.”
Additional reporting: PA