Man sets himself alight in Cork lawyer’s office

A FATHER was fighting for his life last night after setting himself on fire in a law firm’s office yesterday.

The horrific incident stunned the West Cork town of Skibbereen, close to where the 44-year-old man lived.

The Southern Health Board said the man remained in a critical condition in the burns unit of Cork University Hospital.

Named locally as father-of-three John Harnedy, from Rineen, a rural area near Skibbereen, the self-employed steel worker is believed to have created a commotion in the office shortly before setting himself ablaze.

Gardaí said the reason for the incident was unclear. It was not known last night if Mr Harnedy was a client of the company.

The office of Wolfe & Co. Solicitors in Skibbereen was immediately closed for business. Company personnel could not be contacted but an answering machine message said the offices were closed “due to unforeseen circumstances”.

Supt Noel Galwey said gardaí are investigating the incident.

“Staff at the law firm were shocked and very traumatised.

“The man had just arrived. As a member of staff approached, he started to douse himself with petrol,” he said.

The immolation occurred at the company’s Market Street offices around midmorning.

Supt Galwey said professional medical attention was rendered at the scene.Stunned shoppers watched as the badly injured man, wrapped in foil, was transferred to an ambulance.

Gardaí escorted the ambulance to a hospital 52 miles away.

The town was brought to a standstill and traffic was diverted as three units of the county fire service from Skibbereen and Schull arrived.

The firm’s offices are located on the main thoroughfare of the town’s one-way traffic system.

The fire damage was confined to the reception area of the busy solicitors’ office, one of the largest law firms in West Cork.