Four elderly people have lost their lives in house fires in recent weeks, prompting concern from organisations which provide services to the over 65s.
On September 30th, 79-year-old Tim Corbett was killed in a house fire at his home in Co Limerick. Less than two weeks later, Fr Gearóid O’Donnchada (82) was killed in the blaze in the early hours of the morning in his home in Fenit, Co Kerry.
Also in Co Kerry, Bridie Uí Chíobháin, an 85-year-old widow, died after a fire broke out in her home on the Dingle Peninsula, near Ballyferriter at about 9pm on October 24th.
Last Monday, Nora Wilson, also a widow in her 80s, died in a fire at her home in Brierfield, near Moylough, Co Galway.
Causes
The four deaths in as many weeks compares to a total of 13 pensioners who lost their lives in house fires in 2014, the last year for which statistics are available.
According to the figures from the Department of Environment, the cause in six of the fatal house fires in 2014 was unknown.
A further three were attributed to electrical wiring or appliances, while two were attributed to naked flames – possibly a candle or open fire – and two investigations were awaiting resolution.
One person died in a fire in a mobile home, while all others died in houses. Two took place in the afternoon, two mid-morning and the remainder in the evening, night or early hours of the morning.
Five of those who died lost their lives in their bedrooms.
Alarm
Smoke alarms were known to have been fitted in only three of these 13 fatal fires, although in a number of cases the department’s statistics note the damage was too extensive to ascertain whether a smoke alarm had been present.
Expressing concern at the apparent spike in numbers Seán Moynihan of Alone, a voluntary organisation helping elderly people, said older people were increasingly inclined to spend more time in their homes and were less likely to be out and about.
Justin Moran from Age Action Ireland said about 100,000 people over the age of 65 were living alone.
Age Action offered a number of free services, including a “care and repair service”, in many parts of Ireland. One of the most common jobs it did was the installation of alarms, Mr Moran said.
The Department of the Environment also supplies smoke alarms to local authorities for vulnerable members of the community.
