A seven-year-old boy died yesterday when a fire broke out in a mobile home at a Limerick halting site.
He died shortly after 10.30am at the Clondrina halting site on the outskirts of Limerick city despite desperate attempts by his father to save him.
It is understood the boy - a member of the Travelling community - hid in a wardrobe in an attempt to escape the flames and his father could not locate him when he went into the burning building to try to rescue him.
The boy's five-year-old brother, who was also in the mobile home at the time, escaped uninjured.
Two units of Limerick fire brigade were called to the halting site, which is situated off the Limerick to Shannon dual-carriageway.
The fire destroyed the mobile home but the cause is not known.
"It didn't take us long to put out the fire but we stayed for a while to preserve the scene for the gardaí," said one fire-officer.
"We can't say yet how the fire started but unfortunately there was one casualty and the child's father suffered some slight injuries when he went into the mobile home to try and save him," he added.
Gardaí said the dead boy's name would not be released until all relatives had been informed. His body was taken to the Mid- Western Regional Hospital yesterday where a postmortem was due to be carried out later in the day.
"This was an extremely tragic accident and naturally the family is completely distraught, particularly the boy's father who tried to save him," said one garda.
"It appears the child hid in a wardrobe in an effort to escape from the fire and his father couldn't see him when he went into the van looking for him," he explained.
Families from 10 or more mobile homes located at the Clondrina halting site yesterday rallied around the dead child's family, who were said to be in a "complete state of shock".
Gardaí at Mayorstone Garda station in Limerick are investigating the incident.
