Petrol bomb was not cause of fatal Mahon house fire

A PETROL bomb did not cause the house fire which claimed the life of a young mother and her nephew in Cork on Easter Sunday.

And a special bank account which was set up to help their grieving families has been shut down after the money raised was used to cover funeral expenses.

It was confirmed last night that the family of Helena O’Dwyer, 25, who perished in the blaze along with her five-year-old nephew, Ryan O’Dwyer-Hayes, in Helena’s parents home in Mahon, have been told that forensic tests have yielded no proof that a petrol bomb was responsible.

Helena and Ryan were among six people staying in her parents’ home on Nutley Avenue when fire ripped through the house in the early hours of Easter Sunday last April.

Neighbours rushed to help and four people managed to escape the inferno.

However, Helena and Ryan, who were sleeping in upstairs bedrooms, died in the blaze which gutted the house.

Arson was suspected and within days, a man in his 20s was arrested for questioning in connection with the incident.

He was subsequently released without charge, but had to flee the Mahon area amid concerns for his safety.

Garda patrols were stepped up in the area as tensions between certain families ran high.

However, the man has since returned to the area and local sources say tensions have eased and the atmosphere is relatively calm.

Helena’s family have been briefed on the progress of the Garda investigation and on the latest developments.

A senior Garda spokesman said the investigation is ongoing and a dedicated core team is still pursuing several lines of enquiry.

He said gardaí are still awaiting the results of forensic tests on certain materials, but he declined to comment further.

There was an immense outpouring of grief and support in the wake of the tragedy and a special bank account was set up to help Helena and Ryan’s grieving families.

A total of €9,034.13 was donated to the account at the Blackrock Credit Union.

However, local Sinn Féin councillor Chris O’Leary, who liaised with the families and who was one of three signatories on the account, said a decision was taken to shut down the account on June 24.

All the money was used to cover the vast majority of the funeral expenses and he covered the balance of the costs.

“The family did appreciate the generous response from those who made financial contributions and those who made donations of furniture and household goods,” he said.

“They’ve been very lucky with the support they got from across the city as well as up and down the country.”

Helena’s family has subsequently moved to another house in the Mahon area.