Son describes how he tried to save mother from burning room

A devoted son who gave up a career in the hotel business to look after his elderly mother has described how he desperately tried to save her from a fire in her Co Limerick home.

Paschal Condon, Ashbrook, Kilfinane, Co Limerick, was giving evidence at the inquest hearing into the death of his mother Mary.

The elderly widow died just one day after her 96th birthday on February 10th last when a fire broke out in the bedroom of her Co Limerick home.

Her son Paschal described at the Coroners Court today how he had watched the six o'clock news with his mother before her death.

The inquest heard that Mrs Condon was snoozing in an armchair beside a fire in her bedroom when her son went downstairs to prepare a meal.

Mr Condon said when he went back up stairs a short time later to check on his mother, a wall of black smoke met him.

He said he could hear the television from the room but he knew his mother was not alive.

He described how he entered the room and tried to reach for his mother but he didn't know at the time that her armchair had been completely burned.

He left the room to take a breath and attempted to make another dash through the thick smoke but when he opened the door there was too much smoke.

He went down stairs and called the fire brigade and then made another attempt to enter his mother's bedroom, the court heard.

During his evidence Mr Condon said he "knew in his heart and soul that his mother was dead" and described how it felt like an 'eternity' as he waited 15 minutes for the fire brigade to arrive.

Mr Condon told the Coroners Court that his mother had been in good health before she died but was very frail and needed help getting from her armchair to bed.

The court heard how Mr Condon gave up a career in the hotel business some 10 years ago to look after his mother.

Pathologist Dr James O'Driscoll told the inquest that Mrs Condon's death was due to smoke inhalation and a verdict of accidental death was returned.