Elderly woman dies in Galway house fire
A widow in her 80s, Mrs Wilson (nee Dolan) died in the blaze which broke out at her home in Brierfield, near Moylough in north-east Galway late on Monday night.
Two other family members were in the house at the time and were removed by ambulance to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe.
Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
The fire broke out shortly before 11pm and had engulfed the house by the time fire brigade units from Mountbellew and Tuam arrived at the scene.
The bungalow was gutted in the blaze.
It is understood that the fire is not being treated as suspicious, although scenes of crime detectives and senior fire officers were yesterday sifting through the charred remains of the property in an attempt to find out how it started.
Local councillor Michael Connolly said the area had been very shocked at such an unexpected tragedy.
“Mrs Wilson was a lovely lady and a member of a very well respected family—the salt of the earth,” he said.
“It’s a big shock for everybody and a terrible tragedy. I know it’s a relatively new house, so it’s unlikely to have been an electrical fault that caused it.”
