The cause of the fire which killed two young boys in Dublin yesterday and injured five other people is not known. The mother of the children and a granduncle were in critical condition in hospital last night.
The blaze engulfed their home on Bannow Road in Cabra shortly before 9 a.m. Neighbours said the small house was completely gutted within minutes. One said: "It went up like a tissue." The dead children were aged seven and 3 1/2 years.
The mother and granduncle, who also lived in the house, are being treated in the burns unit of St James's Hospital. A spokeswoman said last night that they were both critical. A four-week-old baby and the couple's third child, a boy aged two, were "very stable" in Temple Street Children's Hospital. The father, who was brought to the Mater Hospital, was in intensive care and described as "comfortable".
Another couple, who were in the house at the time, escaped uninjured. It is believed the family were caring for the baby overnight. The name of the family has not yet been released by gardai.
Supt Catherine Clancy said they believed the fire was caused by an accident, "perhaps something electrical in the kitchen, but nothing has been concluded". She was awaiting the report of the forensics team.
A near neighbour said she heard screaming and thought there was a fight outside. "I heard crackling and when I ran outside to the front door the windows blew out. It was terrible. One person was outside with the baby in his arms shouting, `get out'. I ran straight in and rang the fire brigade," said the woman, who did not wish to be named.
Another neighbour said she was alerted to the fire when she heard screaming. "The mother was outside screaming about the kids being inside. It was terrible. They are a lovely family, you would often see the kids out playing. The fire engines arrived very quickly after I realised there was a fire."
The body of one child was discovered upstairs and the second downstairs in the front room.
According to Supt Clancy, a 999 call was made just before 8.50 a.m.. Gardai were at the scene by 8.59 a.m. and the three units of the fire brigade were there shortly before them.