'Absolutely heartbreaking:' Couple who died in Mayo house fire named locally
On Around Of Occurred The At Deerpark Town The Blaze The Outskirts 2am
The east Mayo town of Swinford has been rocked and saddened by the deaths of a local couple in an overnight fire.
The pair, named locally as Tom and Eileen Mahon, died when flames swept through their two-storey home at Deerpark on the outskirts of Swinford early on Tuesday.
The Mahons ran a family business in the town selling bedroom furniture, carpets and blinds.
The couple have two daughters, neither of whom were in the building at the time of the outbreak.
The loss to the community and the manner in which the couple died has shocked locals.
One local, fighting back tears, described the loss of the Mahons as “absolutely heartbreaking”.
The resident, who did not wish to be named, said “one can see the pain of what happened written on peoples’ faces”.
The upstairs portion of the residential home was ablaze by the time fire brigade units reached the scene.
Both bodies were pronounced dead at the scene before being removed in the early afternoon to Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar for autopsies.
Gardaí have sealed off the fire-damaged property to allow for a forensic examination to take place.
Although their investigation is at an early stage, officers say they do not believe there is anything suspicious about the fire.
Local Fianna Fail councillor John Caulfield said the loss of the couple was the second fire tragedy in the area this month.
Earlier this month, a woman in her 90s, Mary McNicholas, died in a house fire in Kiltimagh, less than eight miles from Swinford.
Commenting on the latest blaze, Mr Caulfield said: “The whole community is shocked and saddened. Tom and Eileen were very well-known and respected businesspeople.”