Criminal probe into fire which killed father and son in Sligo
A criminal probe has begun into the circumstances of a fire in which a father and son died, a coroner heard.
Christopher ‘Sunny’ Harte, 64, and his son Seán, 34, died after being overcome by smoke when fire swept through their apartment building in Market St, Sligo, last year.
An inquest opened at Sligo Coroner’s Court but was adjourned after coroner Eamon MacGowan was told that a prosecution is pending and has been transferred to the Circuit Court.
The coroner heard by the time the emergency services arrived, fire had engulfed two floors of the three-storey block, but the apartment where the father and son lived was not on fire. A number of people had escaped and were on the roof or in an adjoining alley when gardaí arrived.
The jury was told there is no garda prosecution in the case but that that the local authority is prosecuting.
Earlier this year at Sligo District Court, Judge Kevin Kilrane was told Sligo County Council is prosecuting the owners and letting agents. They are charged with failing to comply with their obligations under Section 18 of the Fire Services Act 1981.
After the judge heard a case outline, he said he would refuse jurisdiction because of the seriousness of the allegations and because the fire resulted in fatalities.
