‘People are stunned and shocked’

SHOCKED neighbours and friends came throughout the day to lay flowers or chat quietly outside the fire-scorched remains of the house where a young woman and her nephew lost their lives.

Helena O’Dwyer, 25, and her five-year-old nephew Ryan were sleeping in an upstairs room of the house in Nutley Avenue, Mahon, when, in the early hours of Easter Sunday, a firebomb was hurled through the front window.

Three generations of the O’Dwyer family were present in the house at the time when the fire swept through the house and shattered what should have been a happy occasion for all the family.

Looking at the gutted house in the bright sunshine of Easter Sunday, it was hard to imagine anyone was lucky enough to make it out alive.

Ambulance and fire crews were quickly on the scene and managed to save the lives of six of the eight occupants of the house. However, it was too late for Helena and Ryan who were pronounced dead at Cork University Hospital.

Local councillor Chris O’Leary spent much of the day consoling friends and neighbours of the O’Dwyer family who were trying to come to terms with the enormity of what had happened.

“I know the family. People are stunned and shocked. I have been getting phone calls since 7am about it. People are shocked that this would happen on Easter Sunday when most families have children opening Easter eggs. The community is in deep mourning. The residents here tried to valiantly get people out of the house and it would have been much worse without their efforts.

“The fire brigade and the gardaí were very prompt as always and they did their best to save lives, which they did. It could have been a lot worse. The council workers were also there on site this morning also, so I believe. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all those people,” he said.

Most local residents refused to speak to reporters but one woman, who declined to be named, said Helena and her daughter Courtney, who escaped the blaze, were inseparable.

“It is sad. Courtney has just started school. You would see them around the place. Courtney has little glasses and is a cute child. I saw the end of the fire. I smelled the smoke and the sirens woke me. We were all shocked when we came out. Helena was nice.”