Woman, 93, saved from burning house

An elderly woman is recovering in hospital after she was rescued from her burning home in Co Clare yesterday.

The alarm was raised shortly after 5pm when smoke was seen coming from the 93-year-old’s house at Gortavrulla, which is about 7km from Scarriff.

The house is located on a country road in a remote area not far from the tiny village of Caher in the east of the county.

It is understood that the pensioner’s daughter-in-law, who lives next door, was alerted to the fire and rushed to the scene.

On arrival, she found the two-storey farmhouse on fire and the elderly woman in the hallway.

The woman was helped from the house while the emergency services were alerted.

Three units of the fire service from Scarriff, along with an additional resource from Killaloe, rushed to the scene.

An ambulance and the gardaí also attended the incident.

Firefighters found the fire was “well developed” on arrival, having burst through the windows and into the roof.

Fire crews treated the woman until ambulance paramedics arrived.

Medics assessed the pensioner and treated her for smoke inhalation.

The woman was taken to hospital for further treatment.

Once the fire was brought under control, firefighters were able to carry out a detailed search of the house to ensure there was no one else inside.

Gardaí are investigating the cause of the fire which is believed to have started accidentally.