Coroner at inquest of elderly Cork couple who died in house fire urges people to buy smoke alarms

John O’Donnell died of natural causes while his wife Gabrielle O’Donnell had an accidental death due to smoke inhalation, the inquest heard

Gabrielle and John O'Donnell died on the night they celebrated the birth of their first grandchild. Picture: Rip.ie

The deaths of a “very respected” couple whose house caught fire the night they celebrated the birth of their first grandchild should prompt a societal response to prevent future fire deaths, Cork Coroner’s court heard.

Neighbours and family had celebrated with John and Gabrielle (‘Gay’) O’Donnell a short time before a “ball of flame” engulfed their three-storey house, an iconic tiled terraced home on Cork’s Lower Glanmire Road last April.