Gardaí today said they are keeping an open mind today on the cause of a Christmas Day house fire that killed a mother and her two daughters.
Initially the fire at the isolated farmhouse in Co Kilkenny was treated as a tragic accident. but gardaí have confirmed "all circumstances" surrounding the deaths are being investigated.
Sharon Whelan (30) and her daughters Zsara (7), and Nadia (two-and-a-half) died at their rented home on a country lane close to the small village of Windgap.
The fire broke out at around 9am on Christmas day, with neighbours breaking in to try and rescue the family.
Ms Whelan’s uncle Pat Hayes said local gardaí have been unable to give relatives any commitments on when the three bodies can be released for funerals.
“The hardest thing in particular has been the long delay in releasing the bodies,” he said. "Like anyone trying to grieve and get on with things that can only be done when the removal and the burials take place.”
The fire had destroyed the roof of the house and also caused some structural damage to the building preventing garda forensic teams from carrying out detailed examinations.
Fire safety officers had warned the walls were unstable but detectives resumed searches today and kept several hundred yards of land around the home cordoned off. House to house inquiries were also being conducted throughout the day.
Postmortems have taken place, but it is understood the pathologists office is reluctant to release the bodies in case further tests are needed.
Relatives are hoping funerals can be arranged for the end of the week.
PA