Two youngsters had lucky escape after inhaling chimney fumes

TWO young girls were recovering yesterday after being overcome by smoke and fumes from a blocked chimney in their Clare home.

The kids, who had been asleep in their beds, had a lucky escape on Tuesday night.

The alarm was raised at about 11.30pm when the children, aged six and seven, woke up crying and complaining of feeling sick at their home at Thomond Terrace in Sixmilebridge.

Concerned that both children fell sick at the same time and unsure of what was happening, the anxious parents alerted the emergency services.

Two units of the fire service from Shannon along with ambulances from Ennis and Limerick city raced to the scene while a rapid response advanced paramedic unit was also tasked from Ennis.

While it had been feared that there was a gas leak in the house, fire crews, wearing protective breathing apparatus, quickly established the fumes had originated in the chimney which had become blocked.

It is understood the fumes and smoke had managed to escape into the children’s bedroom probably from the attic space.

The children were assessed at the scene before they were taken by ambulance, accompanied by their parents, to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick city for further treatment.

The girls were treated for smoke inhalation and discharged from hospital early yesterday after being given the all-clear by doctors.

The young family had only moved into the house last Thursday although they have lived locally for several years.

It is understood the smoke and fumes had leaked into the upper floor of the house after a fire had been lit downstairs earlier in the evening.

Local councillor John Crowe said: “These are older houses and it appears the chimney became blocked by soot. The emergency services responded very quickly and handled the whole incident very professionally. I would like to commend them for that and we are all thankful that the children are fine.”

A local woman said: “I didn’t hear anything about it until the morning to be honest but when I heard what happened, I know these girls were very lucky. They say smoke is a ‘silent killer’, well, it could have been. It is lucky they woke up.”