Latest news with #Frenchpark
BreakingNews.ie
12 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (72) who died in Roscommon house fire planned to adapt home for partner
Tributes are being paid to a devoted partner who died in a Roscommon house fire overnight. The man who has been named locally as Des Deegan (72) died in a fire at a house in The Oaks housing estate, Frenchpark, Co Roscommon. Advertisement Emergency services were called to the house in an estate shortly before 7pm on Wednesday evening Locals said that Mr Deegan who was originally from Dublin was a devoted partner to Alice Hetherton (63). The couple had lived at French Park for the past 25 years having met in London and lived in Kerry for a number of years previously. Tragically Ms Hetherton suffered a serious bleed on the brain and an aneurysm in 2023 and as a result was admitted to a nursing home in the area in July 2024. Advertisement Mr Deegan had launched a campaign locally to adapt the house and bring her home and had set up a Go-fundme page in April of this year. Locals say he had spoken on local radio about his campaign on a number of occasions. Speaking at the time he said'' I've started this fundraiser on behalf of my partner Alice Hetherton, formerly of Oldcastle Co Meath. "Alice is 63 years old, she has worked all her life caring for others as a care worker in hospitals and nursing homes across the UK and Ireland. "Ironically Alice finds herself now in need of the support she has given to others''. To date the fundraiser has raised almost €7,000. In a statement gardaí said Fire services extinguished the blaze and the body of a man was recovered. His remains were removed from the scene to University Hospital Galway, where a post-mortem examination will be carried out. The scene remains sealed off for a technical examination. It is unclear what caused the fire, with witnesses reporting an explosion just before the blaze broke out. No funeral arrangements have been made as yet.
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘It was the most horrific thing': Man who died in Roscommon explosion planned to adapt house for partner
The man who died in an explosion in Roscommon had planned to adapt the house for his partner who is in a nursing home. The man who was killed in the incident in Frenchpark on Wednesday evening has been named locally as Des Deegan (72), originally from Dublin. He moved into the house approximately a year ago to be close to his partner Alice Hetherton (63), formerly of Oldcastle, Co Meath who is now in a nursing home. It's understood that the couple hoped to retire to Frenchpark, when Alice suffered a bleed on her brain in 2023. Only six weeks ago he set up a GoFundMe to modify the house so his partner could live with him in the house in Frenchpark rather than in a nursing home. The detached house in Frenchpark has now been reduced to a pile of rubble. READ MORE Around it in the Oaks estate are damaged roofs and broken glass. Almost 24 hours after the explosion, the smell of burning debris remains in the air. The home where Des Deegan (72) died was reduced to rubble at the Oaks estate in Frenchpark Residents say the dreadful tragedy could have been so much worse. The explosion happened at 7.10pm when children would usually be out playing in the green in front of the house. The children who were out playing had left the area 10 minutes previously. The explosion was so violent that it blew the window sills from Mr Deegan's home all the way across the green and it hit the front windows of the house 50 metres away. Sinéad Doran was getting her two children ready for bed when she heard the explosion. Looking at the broken glass which peppered her driveway, she said: 'There was definitely a guardian angel looking after our family. It was the most horrific thing I ever witnessed in my whole life. 'It is the luck of God that the window did not come in on top of us. We thought it was our car that exploded. We couldn't hear the bang. We could actually feel it. Our whole house shook.' She said the horror of the explosion was compounded by the realisation that she had just seen Mr Deegan enter the house just minutes before. Her partner Bernard Finlay raced across the road after he heard the explosion and called out if there was anybody there. 'I was thinking of him, but there were people screaming at me to get away. I was thinking of my kids. I needed to move away before things got worse,' he said. It took fire fighters four hours to release the remains of Mr Deegan from the rubble. Parish priest Fr Michael Donnelly said local people are 'numb with shock' about what happened and traumatised about how close the estate came to total catastrophe. 'Why the children weren't there and the sun beating down nobody knows. There was someone looking over them. If the children were there when the house blew up, you are looking at multiple fatalities.' A technical examination of the scene is continuing and investigations are ongoing.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man found dead following house fire in Co Roscommon
A man has been found dead following an extensive house fire in Co Roscommon. Emergency services were called to the scene in the Oaks housing estate in Frenchpark at about 7:15pm on Wednesday evening, and the blaze was brought under control. Advertisement The body of the man has been removed from the house, and taken to University Hospital Galway for post-mortem exam. The scene remains sealed off on Thursday morning for a technical examination, and gardaí say enquiries are ongoing.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Man dies following fire at house in Co Roscommon
A man has died following a house fire in Co Roscommon. Gardaí said the fire broke out in the house at The Oaks estate in Frenchpark at about 7.15pm on Wednesday. The body of the man has been removed from the house to University Hospital Galway for a postmortem examination. Residents in The Oaks estate are said to have heard a loud bang at about 7.10pm. READ MORE Footage on social media appears to show the house almost completely destroyed by fire, with its roof caved in. The scene remains held for technical examination and investigations are ongoing. The fire has been extinguished by fire services. The estate was build in 2004 and consists of approximately 50 houses and a number of apartments.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
House destroyed by fire following explosion in Roscommon
Emergency services are at the scene of a house fire in Co Roscommon caused by a large explosion. Residents in The Oaks estate in Frenchpark are said to have heard a loud bang at about 7.10pm. Footage on social media appears to show the house almost completely destroyed by fire, with its roof caved in. It is unclear whether anybody was in the house at the time of the fire. READ MORE Gardaí said they were made aware of the incident at 7.15pm and remain on site. Investigations are ongoing. The estate was build in 2004 and consists of approximately 50 houses and a number of apartments.
