Three brothers were killed in a house fire in Drogheda this morning despite efforts by neighbours to rescue them.
Two boys, James McDonagh (8), Tony Jr (16) and their older brother Martin (21) died after a fire engulfed their home on the Moneymore estate.
Another brother, Eddie (13), was critically injured.
Six family members, Anthony McDonagh, his wife Kathleen and the four boys were in the house when the fire broke out. Two other children, Caroline (11) and Lisa (8) were staying with relatives last night.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined but Asst Chief Fire Officer for Louth, Sheila Broderick said there was “no reason to believe” that it was anything other than accidental.
The fire was noticed by neighbours at around 7.30am and they made several attempts to reach those trapped inside but were beaten back by the heat.
Three fire tenders, two from Drogheda and the third from Dunleer, arrived at the scene within minutes of being called.
Eddie and his parents were found at the front of the house and were taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and were later tranferred to hospitals in Dublin.
Alan Fitzpartick (40) , who lives on the same terrace as the McDonaghs, was one of the first on the scene.
"I just had my jeans on and was barefoot. I ran out but there was nothing we could do for them. Not a thing", he said. "The fire was so intense. We saw one of them in the box room window screaming and trying to get out but there was nothing we could do for him."
Mr Fitzpatrick and another neighbour, Paddy Faulkner, tried to rescue the family by placing a ladder against the front of the house.
“Nothing could be done. We tried to get the ladder up to the window but the heat was tremendous”, Mr Faulkner said.
John Connors and his son Stephen (20) - who live two doors away - saw Eddie jump out of a window at the front of the house.
“I saw him land on the bench under the window. He was distraught, his arms were covered in blood, he was in a mess. His feet and jeans were on fire,” said Stephen.
Asst Chief Fire Officer Broderick said the extensive nature of the damage made it difficult to determine what caused the fire, but initial indications were that it started downstairs.
Ms Broderick said firemen had difficulty getting access at the front of the house but quickly managed to gain entry at the rear of the mid-terrace house.
A search was carried out and the three deceased were removed from the scene.
The house and immediate area was cordoned off pending the arrival of forensic gardaí.
Mr and Mrs McDonagh were transferred to St James's Hospital in Dublin. Their conditions are not said to be life-threatening. Eddie was taken to Temple Street Children's Hospital for further treatment.
