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Elderly man dies after house fire in County Clare

Updated 11:45 An elderly man has died after sustaining serious burn injuries at his home in Count...
Newstalk
Newstalk

11.43 16 Jun 2018


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Elderly man dies after house f...

Elderly man dies after house fire in County Clare

Newstalk
Newstalk

11.43 16 Jun 2018


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Updated 11:45

An elderly man has died after sustaining serious burn injuries at his home in County Clare yesterday.

The man’s son, aged in his 40s, also sustained serious injuries after going to his father’s aid.

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The two men have been named locally as 89-year-old Joe Quinn, and his son Seamus Quinn.

Both men were airlifted in two helicopters to Cork University Hospital (CUH) from their home in Meelick, south east Clare.

Gardaí are investigating the incident, but sources said they are treating it as a “tragic accident.”

Mr Quinn, a former CIE employee, is understood to have accidentally come into contact with a fire that was lighting inside the house at the time.

The pensioner suffered “extensive burns” to his body and was said to be in a critical condition in hospital.

His son Seamus also suffered burns having gone to his father’s aid.

His condition, whilst serious, is not thought to be life-threatening.

The family’s modest cottage style bungalow, in which Mr Quinn, his wife Alice and their son Seamus reside, did not suffer any damage in the incident.

Several family members comforted one another outside the house yesterday evening after the two men were airlifted to Cork.

Four units of Limerick City and County Fire and Rescue Service initially responded to the scene after receiving a 999 call at 5.44pm about a “house fire.”

Firefighters, gardai, and HSE ground paramedics, assisted crews from the Air Corps 112 Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) air ambulance, as well as the Shannon-based Rescue Helicopter 115, which transferred the two male casualties from the scene to CUH.

Paying tribute, a neighbour described Joe Quinn as "a good musician and entertainer", who in his heyday, had "played the accordion and sang at venues around the country.

Reporting by David Raleigh


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