Man arrested in connection with fatal Cork house fire

A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a house fire that resulted in the death of a woman and a child in Co Cork.

The blaze broke out on Nutley Avenue in Mahon at around 3.15am.

There were eight people inside the house at the time.

Six managed to escape unhurt but a 25-year-old woman and her five-year-old nephew were trapped.

They were taken from the house by fire brigade members but subsequently pronounced dead at Cork University Hospital.

A forensic examination of the house is taking place this afternoon.