Coroner and a jury deal with two fire-related inquests
THE coroner for Mayo, Patrick O'Connor, and a jury today (Tuesday) dealt with two cases of recent deaths in which fires were involved.
However, in the case of 75-year-old Joseph O'Toole, who was found dead by relatives in his home on Inisturk Island on February 1 last, the jury found that he died from natural causes.
They did so after hearing medical evidence from Dr. Tamas Nemeth, consultant pathologist at Mayo University Hospital, that Mr. O'Toole, who was single and a retired fisherman, died from a heart attack.
Evidence was given to the hearing that there were indications of a fire earlier in the area where the body was found and the walls of the room were blackened by smoke.
Dr. Nemeth said there were burns on Mr. O'Toole's face and arms but he had died from a heart attack and was not alive when the flames extended to his body.
The second fire-related death inquest today related to 84-year-old Joseph Kelly, a widower, who lived in an apartment at Lucan Street, Castlebar.
Mr. Kelly was found by a neighbour in his smoke-filled apartment on the afternoon of April 1 last.
He died later in hospital.
A post-mortem examination on Mr. Kelly indicated the cause of death as extensive burns to his lower limbs due to a house fire.
Today's inquest heard from a witness who came on the scene that he could only assume the blaze started as a small fire in the sittingroom.
He said there was nothing he could do to save Mr. Kelly as the smoke was too intense.
After the jury returned a verdict of accidental death, the coroner, Mr. O'Connor, sympathised with Mr. Kelly's relatives.
The coroner warned that domestic fires can be deadly dangerous and need to be treated with the utmost caution.
Sergeant Pat O'Hora, on behalf of An Garda SÃochána, and Gerry Tolster, foreman of the inquest jury, joined in the expressions of sympathy to the families of both inquest victims.