A man who died in an overnight fire in Cork city has been described by neighbours as a lovely man who adored his grandchildren, regularly playing football with them outside his southside home.
The fire broke out in a two-storey house on Noonan’s Rd at around 3am on Sunday morning, with units from Cork City Fire Brigade and members of An Garda Síochána attending the scene within minutes of the alarm being raised.
Firefighters had to use breathing equipment to gain access to the premises, and the occupant of the house, a man in his early 60s, was found unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom.
The man received treatment from paramedics at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where he was subsequently pronounced dead.
The office of the state pathologist has been informed, with a postmortem examination to be carried out.
The scene was preserved and a garda investigation to determine the cause of the fire is ongoing.
It is understood that early indications suggest that the fire was accidental in nature.
A file will be prepared for the coroner.
Neighbours who spoke to The Echo said the man, who had lived at the house for some time, had been a very kind and caring person who doted on his family.
“He was an adoring grandfather, adoring, and you’d often see him out playing ball with his grandkids outside the house,” one woman who declined to be named said.
“He was a lovely man, and he lived for those children.”
Another neighbour, who declined to give their name, said the man was a decent neighbour who always looked out for the people around.
“They’re a lovely, lovely family, I would know his daughter, she’s a fabulous person, and my heart goes out to them at this desperate time,” she said.
“He was always looking after his elderly neighbours, always looking out for people, and you’d always see him on the green with his own grandchildren.
“He was a lovely man, very young in himself, and he loved cars, you’d always see him cleaning the car outside the house.”
Local city councillor Paudie Dineen said the local area was in shock at the news.
“My sincere condolences go out to the poor man’s family and friends and neighbours, it’s very, very sad,” he said.
“It’s an awful tragedy to befall the whole area, and I would like to pay tribute to the fire services, the ambulance crew, and the gardaí, who were all so promptly in attendance at the scene.”