Neighbour describes scene of tragic Ballybeg fire

Tributes were being paid today to Brian and Joanne O’Regan died, along with their baby girl Niamh following a fire at a house in Ballybeg, Co Waterford this morning.

Witnesses today described how the mother was seen at a window holding her toddler, but could not throw her to safety.

“Two of the neighbours went to the back of the house with ladders but they couldn’t get in,” a neighbour the neighbour told RTÉ radio. “The fire was too intense and they couldn’t break the windows because they were all double glazing.

“I think the mother had the child in her arms at one stage and was trying to throw the child out the window but she couldn’t get her child out.

“The gardaí did their best but they couldn’t get in.”

The man described how gardaí and up to six fire engines attended the scene.

“Seemingly the children got out, then they got the baby out and then the mother and father but it was too late. The baby went to hospital and died later on in hospital.”

“They were only a young couple with four lovely children.

“They lived for their children. They were lovely people. They were lovely neighbours, you couldn’t meet nicer.

“No-one knows what happened, no-one could see what happened. The fire was confined to the house but the whole house was completely gutted.”