'A very sad day': Community reeling after man, 70s, dies in house fire in Cork  

A man, aged in his 70s, died today following a house fire in the Grange area of Cork City on what was described as a “very sad day” for the local community.

Cork City Fire Brigade was tasked to respond to the fire at Grange Cottages at around 10.40am.

Two units of Cork City Fire Brigade responded to the call.

An Garda Síochána and the ambulance service were also mobilised to the scene.

Speaking to The Echo, third officer Gerard Ryan said they were met by family members who informed them there was a person in the house.

Mr Ryan said that fire crews wore breathing apparatus as a precaution while conducting a search of the building.

They found a person on the ground floor of the property.

“[They] were pronounced dead at the scene by one of the responding doctors from Cork University Hospital,” Mr Ryan said.

“The fire occurred during the night [Tuesday night] or some time ago.

“There were no real firefighting duties for us, as the fire had burnt itself out,” he said.

Mr Ryan said that the fire was contained in the room of origin and had not spread to other areas of the house.

A Garda spokesperson said the scene had been preserved and that a technical examination had taken place at the property.

The spokesperson said that the body of the man was taken to the morgue at Cork University Hospital.

Local councillor Shane O’Callaghan said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the tragic house fire at Grange Cottages.

He said his thoughts were with the family of the man who died.

“A number of people have contacted me about it,” the Fine Gael councillor said.

“I think the community here in Grange and Frankfield is reeling at the news.

“It’s a very sad day for our community.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Mary Rose Desmond said the incident was “extremely tragic”.

She offered her sympathies to the friends and families of the man who lost his life.

Ms Desmond also paid tribute to Cork City Fire Brigade for the work they undertook when attending the scene.