Speculation mounts on cause of fatal fire

GARDAÍ will this morning begin a fifth day of forensic examination of the farmhouse where a fire claimed the lives of a young mother and her two children on Christmas morning.

The bodies of Sharon Whelan, 30, and her two daughters Zsara, 7, and Nadia, 2, were discovered shortly after 8.30am after neighbours saw smoke billowing from the remote farmhouse at Roscon, Co Kilkenny. Their bodies were rescued from the blazing rented house by a group of local men.

The access roads to the farmhouse remained cordoned off by gardaí last night as they continued their forensic examinations of the scene.

Initial postmortem results on the bodies were inconclusive and a second postmortem examination has been carried out but the results have not been released.

The bodies of the dead woman and her two children remain at Waterford Regional Hospital and are expected to be released to the family over the coming days. Funeral arrangements have not been confirmed.

Sharon’s father, Christy, who is well known in local GAA circles visited his daughter at about 11pm on Christmas Eve to deliver the children’s presents. At about 8.30am the following morning a number of locals rushed to the house when they saw clouds of smoke coming from the building. Despite their brave efforts it was too late and they retrieved the bodies of the three victims.

Initially it was believed that the young family had died in a tragic house fire.

However speculation is growing locally that there may be a more sinister element to the case and many locals believe that it might be upgraded to a murder inquiry over the next few days.

Family spokesman Pat Hayes, an uncle of Sharon, said that the family were heartbroken and the delay in releasing the bodies was causing great sadness.

However, he added that it was essential that no stone be left unturned in the Garda investigation and that the most important thing for the family was that the cause of death of the victims be established.

Parish priest Martin Cleere, who attended the tragic scene, said the whole community was devastated and shell-shocked by the events of Christmas morning.

“I went to pray over the bodies and give them their last rites. The bodies were in the ambulance at that stage. It was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do in my life, to pray over the three bodies in the ambulance.

“The whole parish is just waiting now to hear when the bodies will be released and when the funeral will be.

“This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m in the job 27 years,” he said.