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Chip pan started fire that killed 10 people at Carrickmines halting site, inquest hears

An inquest into the deaths of 10 people who died in a fire at a halting site in Dublin has heard ...
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Newstalk

07.00 14 Jan 2019


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Chip pan started fire that kil...

Chip pan started fire that killed 10 people at Carrickmines halting site, inquest hears

Newstalk
Newstalk

07.00 14 Jan 2019


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An inquest into the deaths of 10 people who died in a fire at a halting site in Dublin has heard a chip pan left on a cooker was the cause of the blaze.

The inquest re-opened today following a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last year not to pursue a criminal prosecution.

Tom McHugh, director of housing and community at Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, told the inquest the halting site at Glenamuck in Carrickmines was set up in 2008 as a temporary emergency site.

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He said it was never intended to be a permanent site and was not subject to the same fire safety regulations.

The scene on Glenamuck Road in Carrickmines in 2015 | Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Thomas Connors, his wife Sylvia and their three children - six-month-old baby Mary - were among the victims of the fire in October 2015.

Willie Lynch, his pregnant partner Tara Gilbert, their daughters Jodie and Kelsey and Willie's older brother Jimmy also lost their lives in the blaze.

Detective Inspector Martin Creighton said the scene was preserved for 26 days, and a chip pan left on a hot plate on an electric cooker was found to be the cause of the fire.

The inquest also heard there was only one metre between the caravans.

The guidelines provided for an optimal distance of six metres.


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