Coal fire in kitchen blamed for death of pensioner, inquest hears

An elderly woman died in a house fire sparked by a coal fire in her kitchen last year, an inquest heard yesterday.

Mary Moynihan, 89, a leading figure in the Irish Deaf community who pioneered the use of Irish Sign Language (ISL), died in the blaze at her home on Model Farm Rd on November 6.

Cork City coroner Philip Comyn returned a verdict of accidental death after hearing details of the tragic case.

The inquest was told that Ms Moynihan, who was deaf and single, lived alone and independently thanks to the support of family and a HSE home help worker.

Home help Aileen Coughlan said she called to Ms Moynihan every morning, lunchtime, and evening, seven days a week.

She called to Ms Moynihan’s home at around 10.30am on November 6 last year and did some jobs around the house.

She told the coroner that Ms Moynihan loved the heat from a fire and that the fire in the kitchen was lighting.

However, she said Ms Moynihan, who walked with the aid of a frame, seemed a bit tired. Ms Coughlan called to the house again at lunchtime and left at 2pm.

One of Ms Moynihan’s nephews, Declan Donovan, who also called to the house regularly, said he arrived between 6.30pm and 7pm.

He said his aunt complained of the cold and he put some extra coal and briquettes on the fire, before replacing the fireguard.

“Everybody put the fire guard up,” he said.

He left around 7pm as Ms Moynihan settled down to watch Nationwide on TV.

Ms Coughlan said she returned at 9pm to help Ms Moynihan to bed but when she opened the back door, she was met with a wall of smoke and raised the alarm. She said she heard banging from inside the house.

Third officer with Cork City Fire Brigade, Victor Shine, said they got the call at 9.25pm and were on the scene by 9.30pm.

He said that when they arrived, flames were shooting through the kitchen window, which meant the fire had been ablaze for some time. He also said the building’s corrugated steel roof contributed to heat retention inside the property.

Firefighters brought the fire under control quickly and Ms Moynihan’s badly burned body was found lying in the kitchen. Death was pronounced at the scene.

Investigating garda Darren Suffin said a report by forensic crime scene investigator Garda Stephen Dennehy found no evidence of forced entry at the house.

His report established that the seat of the fire was located in a fuel storage area to the left of the fireplace in the kitchen, where timber blocks and briquettes were stored. He was satisfied that this was an accidental fire.

An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was smoke inhalation due to a house fire.

Mr Comyn described it as a tragic case, but he praised Ms Moynihan’s relatives and Ms Coughlan for ensuring that she was able to live independently at home right up to her death.

Mr Donovan said his aunt, although frail, was still very involved socially, and was even planning to meet friends the next day.

She was involved in her younger life with older deaf people and when she got old, younger people came to visit her in her house. Nothing held her back. She had a great life,” he said.

Poignantly, the ISL which Ms Moynihan used for most of her life was formally recognised as a minority language weeks after her death.

Chairman of the Cork Deaf Club, Graham O’Shea, said Ms Moynihan had a strong character, and she was great company.

“She was much loved by her extended family, and by all of us in the deaf community, especially here in Cork,” he said. “She will be sorely missed.”