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Updated 2:30pm 9/2/17
TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to the Cork couple who, along with a close relative, died following a house fire in the UK on Monday.
Named locally as Joe and Anne Whelan, it is believed the couple were visiting Joe’s brother Jim who lived in Hornchurch, east of London.
Jim is said to have been in ill health in recent months, and Joe and Anne had come to help take care of him.
The brothers were originally from Dublin, but Joe and Anne had been living in Cobh, Co Cork before going to stay with Jim, who had lived around London for much of his adult life.
A neighbour of Jim told the Evening Standard that the news was heartbreaking for the whole community.
They said: “He was a very close neighbour, this fire has broken the entire street.
His family came over to help him and they perished too – it’s just awful.
Another neighbour, Valerie Newman, said: “Jim was lovely, dead chatty and the fittest man for his age.”
Essex Live reports that firefighters were called to the ground floor fire at the house on Laburnum Avenue in the town at about 4am on Monday morning.
It’s understood that Anne died at the scene, while the two men who were removed to hospital later died from their injuries. She was aged 68, while Joe and Jim were aged 74 and 76, respectively.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan expressed his “deepest sympathies” to the families involved.
“I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the three people who died following a house fire in Hornchurch in Essex, on Monday,” Flanagan said in a statement yesterday evening.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to those families at present.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. It was brought under control by the fire services in attendance, four fire engines and 21 firefighters, before 6am.
“My thoughts and those of everyone at the brigade are with the friends and family of the three people who have died following the tragic fire in Hornchurch on Monday morning,” London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said in a statement.
Firefighters worked extremely hard and did all they could in difficult conditions.
A Metropolitan Police investigation was launched into the cause of the fire and concluded that no suspicious circumstances were present.
“We are very sad that the community has lost three of its members in this very tragic incident,” said Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson of Havering borough police.
This appears to be through accidental circumstances. Our prayers and condolences go out to the families of those involved.
With reporting from Sean Murray
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The Healy Rae’s are a national embarrassment.
@carol mullen: Why ? Because they get the job done ? I’m not from the constituency they’re from so they probably won’t do much for me,but why do the people of Kerry keep voting for them
@carol mullen: Only to those whose heads are too posh to push. They respond to their constituents concerns and deliver unlike the Social Democrats and Labour party who run to the hills In case they be held accountable in fairness to the Greens at least they took their place they’ve taken their beating which was unfair given they stepped up and influenced government policy.
@Paul Harte: They claim they get everything done but it is not them at all.
@Gary Kearney: So who gets it done. I understand that they don’t physically go out and do it themselves, but who is getting it done so. If more TDs worked for the constituents like these 2 and just interested in being in photos and actually did what the voters need and want, we’d be a lot better off. Yes, they are well paid for it, but are they getting anything more than the useless TDs who do nothing other than look after themselves.
If there is 1euro in agreement for the people of Kerry, there is another one in it for Healy-Rae’s
Milking the country they are.
Make kilgarvan great again
They play the oldest game in the book. All politics is local and blame it on anybody else, particularly Dublin. Works like a dream.
They complain about schemes and policies the government run and yet make millions out of them.
We can’t laugh at trump when we have e the Healy raes in politics here
Could they be any worse than Mehole and Simson
@Paul Harte: Thankfully our voters rejected being ruled by the Dark rooms of Belfast and those living in a foreign country.
Healy Raes and Mattie Mcgraw are among the few politicians that actually care about doing the job they elected for instead of rattling on about other countries business.
@gregory pym: And Michael Collins isn’t to bad either and the guy in Limerick who’s in with Michael, his name escapes me, is he Donaghue or something like that 0
so the healy raes and mucheal lowery will decide who our next government will be, we’ll its always great to have friends in low places Michael and Simon
These two should not be allowed near politics. They are a national disgrace
In fairness, he cannot say anything else now can he!
have your say