|
|
Retired nurse dies in house fire
23.10.09
by Linda McGrory
GARDAI are investigating a house fire that claimed
the life of a retired nurse in Buncrana yesterday.
The woman, named locally as Alice McGlinchey, 80,
died when a fire broke out in the kitchen to the
rear of her neat semi-detached home, Rose Cottage,
Cockhill Road, Buncrana.
William O'Doherty, 28, who lives in the adjoining
cottage with his girlfriend, learned of the blaze
when two young men banged on his door around 3.30am.
"I was working on the computer when these two fellas
came banging on my door. They said the house was on
fire and asked if there was anyone next door," he
said. "I told them there was an elderly woman in
there. I rang the emergency number on my mobile
phone and then ran to the shed and grabbed a sledge
hammer. I tried to break down her front door but it
seemed to be heavily locked on the inside.
"The other two went to the back door and I heard
them shouting inside. I went back around to them but
they said it was no use because they couldn't get in
any further because it was too hot and there were
too many flames," added Mr O'Doherty. He described
how a fourth passer-by joined them in the search and
sustained severe cuts to his arm trying to reach the
victim. |
 |
Mr O'Doherty's
girlfriend, Aisling Doherty, added: "The hardest
part was knowing she was in there but that you
couldn't do anything about it." The young couple
said they did not know the deceased woman well. Ms
McGlinchey slept in a small downstairs bedroom to
the front of her home. Her body was discovered at
the foot of stairs in the kitchen leading to an
unused loft in her property. The kitchen also
contained an open hearth but it is unclear whether
the fire had been lit earlier in the night.
Ms McGlinchey, an unmarried woman who worked as a
nurse for some years in England, was described
yesterday by others who knew her as a "quiet,
private and independent woman". As recently as last
summer, she could be seen on a ladder doing
maintenance work on her traditional stone cottage.
Buncrana Superintendent William Johnston said all
aspects of the tragedy would be investigated.
"At this stage, we are not treating the fire as
suspicious. We will be investigating all the
circumstances surrounding the incident and will
await the outcome of the forensic examination and
the results of the post mortem," he said. He said
early indications suggested the victim may have died
of smoke inhalation from a fire that was caused
either accidentally or through an electrical fault.
Around 15 local firefighters, some wearing breathing
apparatus, attended the blaze getting it under
control a short time later. It is thought the
property did not have smoke alarms installed. The
victim's remains were removed from the scene around
6am and taken to Letterkenny General Hospital for
post mortem. |
|
