Gardaí praised for fire rescue attempt

A CORONER has praised the actions of two off-duty gardaí who attempted to rescue a neighbour after a fire broke out in her house. They were driven back by flames and heavy smoke.

Kathleen Palles, 54, of Cherry Avenue, River Valley, Swords, Co Dublin, died from complications of severe burns at St James’s Hospital on July 3, 2010, a month after the fire.

Ms Palles was a heavy smoker and may have dropped a cigarette, a match or an ashtray on the floor, causing a fire to take hold in the front room of her home in the early hours of June 3.