Praise for local fire service

 

There has been praise for the efforts of the local service who rescued four persons from a burning apartment block in Cavan Town last night, an incident which sadly claimed the life of one other.

At approximately 8pm on Saturday evening, January 25, firefighters from Cavan Town and Belturbet Fire Brigades attended the scene of a domestic fire just off Main Street in Cavan Town.

By the time rescue crews arrived, the fire was described as having already been “well-developed”.

Several firefighters fought the fire from outside, while teams equipped with Breathing Apparatus undertook search and rescue and firefighting from within the building.

Three adults and a child were rescued, while tragically one man lost his life located in a separate apartment unit to the rear of the property.

Two firefighters also sustained injuries during the incident and were brought to Cavan General Hospital. Both firefighters were later released from hospital late on Saturday night.

 

 

Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Councillor Shane P O’Reilly has expressed his sympathy to the family of the deceased man while also praising the efforts of the local fire crews.

“I would like to express deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased, also to thank Cavan County Fire Service for their unstinting bravery and commitment. Two of our firefighters sustained injuries during the incident, but thankfully both men were discharged from hospital last night and will make a full recovery,” he said.

Council Chief Executive, Tommy Ryan, meanwhile said, “On behalf of myself, Director of Services for Emergency Services, Margaret McNally, and the entire senior management team, I want to express our sincere gratitude to our firefighters for their efforts in extremely challenging conditions during last night’s incident. Our thoughts go out to the family of the deceased man.”

Chief Fire Officer Noel O’Reilly also praised the efforts of the Cavan Town and Belturbet firefighters, and thanked too the Gardaí and National Ambulance Service who assisted at the scene.

“This was a multi-agency response, and I would like to commend the efforts of all the firefighters, Gardaí, and paramedics, without whose efforts the loss of life would undoubtedly have been greater,” said Mr O’Reilly.

Earlier this morning, Sunday, January 26, a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana confirmed that the body of the deceased man, aged in his 40’s, remains at the scene.

He has yet to be identified and Gardaí say this process may take some time.

The scene is currently preserved for forensic and technical examination and the local Coroner has been notified.

The exact cause of the fire has yet to be established, but foul play is not suspected at this time.