Neighbour helps carry elderly woman from fatal fire

By Conor Kane

An elderly woman has died in a house fire in Tramore in Co Waterford early today.

Members of the emergency services and a neighbour managed to carry the woman out of the detached bungalow after the fire was discovered, but she was pronounced dead some time later.

Gardaí do not currently believe the fire started in suspicious circumstances.

It’s believed the fire broke out shortly before 1am today at the house on Priest's Road, Tramore, and the alarm was raised by a member of the public.

Gardaí arrived at the scene within minutes and managed to remove the woman, who was living alone in the house, from the blaze along with the help of a local person.

Fire service personnel were there shortly afterwards and administered first aid to the victim until the arrival of an ambulance crew who took her to University Hospital Waterford. However, attempts to resuscitate her proved unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Fire crews from Tramore and Dunmore East worked at the scene for a number of hours and had the fire brought under control by about 4.30am.

Gardaí sealed off the scene and a forensic examination has been taking place.

The woman has not been named as members of her family are still being informed. It understood she was a single woman who has some relatives in other parts of the country.

A garda spokesman said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but they did not believe it to be suspicious.”

A member of the fire service said there was “nothing apparent” at the scene which would suggest a cause.

Priest’s Road is close to the town centre in Tramore, about 100 metres from the top of the Main Street.