Neighbours efforts fail to save child from house blaze

NEIGHBOURS described yesterday how they tried to save the life of a two-year-old girl who died in a house fire in Killarney, Co Kerry.

Despite their brave efforts, they were beaten back by dense smoke and flames as they tried to get into Rebekah Goienetxe-Bawden’s upstairs bedroom.

The two-year-old lived in the rented terraced house at 21 O’Sullivan’s Place, close to the town centre, with her mother, Stephanie Bawden. She managed to escape from another upstairs room along with another occupant. The house dates back to the 1940s and was recently rewired, according to neighbours.

“It was very upsetting to be there, to have broken the window and to be unable to get in to the child,” said Bernadette Horgan who lives just across the road.

Her husband, Tadhg Horgan, was one of the first at the scene of the blaze after the alarm was raised at around 5.30am. They saw Stephanie standing on an upstairs window ledge ready to jump, but shouted at her to stay put as they went to get a ladder.

They placed the ladder against the ledge and helped Stephanie and a male occupant escape the blaze. They then took the ladder around to the back of the house and broke the window of the child’s room. They could hear her crying, but were beaten back by the smoke billowing from the room.

Another witness said when she looked in through a downstairs window she saw what looked like a ‘big coal fire’ in the middle of the sittingroom, adding that the house was gutted within minutes.

Kathleen McCarthy, who lives across the road, described Rebekah as a beautiful little girl, who used to play inside the gate of number 21, which Stephanie had rented since last December.

“The first I knew of something being wrong was when I heard the fire brigade siren. When I looked out the window, there was a lot of noise and smoke billowing around the place. Everyone in the neighbourhood is devastated,” said Mrs McCarthy.

Radio Kerry sports commentator Weeshie Fogarty, who lives in O’Sullivan’s Place, said everyone went quickly to the scene and did everything they could.

Poignantly, a red and yellow toy car that Rebekah used to move around in still lay outside the house yesterday.

The fire is believed to have started in the ground floor area of the house, possibly in the kitchen, and garda forensic experts were carrying out a detailed examination of the scene yesterday.

Two units of Killarney fire brigade and a unit from Killorglin went to the scene, but found the hallway and stairs ablaze on arrival, blocking access to Rebekah’s room. The house was already extensively damaged and they managed to put out the fire in about 20 minutes.

Rebekah’s body was later removed to Tralee General Hospital. Stephanie Bawden, who previously lived in Killorglin, and the other occupant were also taken to hospital. Neither has serious injuries.