Mother and baby among six rescued from burning building in Cork
A mother and her baby boy are in hospital after they were among six people rescued from a burning building in Cork last night.
The mother suffered minor burn injuries and her baby is being treated for the effects of smoke inhalation after the fire in a three-story apartment building on Gerald Griffin St in Blackpool.
Four other adults who lived in the building - a male and female couple believed to be Polish, and two other females who lived in separate apartments - were treated at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation.
Third fire officer Gerry Myers said the building’s smoke alarm had activated and roused all the occupants, who were trying to make their escape through a smoke-logged building just as fire fighters arrived.
The alarm was raised at 12.15am and three units of Cork City Fire Brigade rushed to the scene.
Two teams of fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building and found several people trapped on a landing and stairs on the first floor.
The fire fighters were able to escort all the occupants to safety from the smoke-filled structure.
They found the fire burning in a first floor apartment where the mother and child had been living, and managed to bring it under control within 20-minutes, before they used fans to extract smoke from the building.
Garda forensic experts are conducting a full technical examination of the scene this morning.
But the early indications suggest the fire started accidentally.
It is understood that the fire may have started on or near a couch in the apartment’s living area.
