An electrical appliance may have been the cause of the fire in Oldcastle, Co Meath, in which two young sisters died early on Wednesday morning.
Supt Jim Ward of Kells Garda station said forensic experts had taken away a number of electrical appliances. "We are hoping to attribute the cause of the fire to one of these appliances," he said.
Ann Marie (8) and Michelle (4) Fitzsimons died in the fire which broke out just after midnight at the house in Ballinvally. Their parents, four siblings and a neighbour were taken to Ca van General Hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation.
The National Safety Council has said the long winter may be partly to blame for the almost threefold increase in the number of house fires this year. Mr Pat Costello, chief executive of the council, said more people stayed indoors during bad weather and used more lighting, heating and electrical appliances.
Up to yesterday, 28 people had died in house fires this year. This compared with 10 fatalities during the same period last year, while 43 people died in house fires in all of last year.
"We certainly are extremely concerned about this increase," Mr Costello said. which should be tested once a week.
The suggestion that local authority homes were the source of more fires than privately owned homes was rejected by the council and the Department of the Environment.
"Since the foundation of the State, 70 per cent of local authority houses have become privately owned houses," a Department spokesman said. "The split between private and local authority owned houses is generally reflected in the figures on fatalities. It's not that much of a factor," he said.
In 1999, of the 51 fire fatalities attended by fire brigades, 12 took place in local authority homes. The cause of the fire was unknown in 20 cases while 11 fires were caused by cigarettes or smoking materials.
Eight fires were caused by electrical appliances. The presence of smoke alarms was confirmed in nine of the 51 cases.
