State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy was due in Co Mayo last evening to carry out a post-mortem examination on the body of a 23-year-old woman who died in an apartment fire in the seaside town of Newport.
It is understood that Ms Elizabeth O'Malley, an interior designer, had been visiting the apartment which is located in a three-storey building on Newport's main street, when the fire broke out about 4.30am.
Ms O'Malley was trapped but a male friend, the occupant of the flat, managed to escape.
Firemen wore breathing apparatus and used a ladder to get in through a first-floor window. They extinguished the flames but it was too late to save Ms O'Malley, who was a native of nearby Srahmore.
The blaze occurred in one of three apartments located above a butcher's shop.
A woman who lived in another flat escaped while the occupant of a third apartment was not at home at the time.
Following the blaze, which did not cause serious damage to the building, the scene was preserved for Garda technical examination.
The body was removed later to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar where Prof Cassidy was due to carry out a postmortem.
Mayo chief fire officer Séamus Murphy said the outbreak was quickly dealt with by a hose and ladder fire team from Newport assisted by a unit from Westport about seven miles away.