Down fire: Children's cries alerted rescuer
A house fire in which a man and woman died in Northern Ireland was today being treated as suspicious by police.
The bodies of the 35-year-old woman and 39-year-old man were recovered from the house outside the Co Down fishing village of Kilkeel last night.
The couple’s three children, aged four, five and six, and the woman’s 16-year-old son escaped the blaze uninjured.
Police said a man checking cattle outside the village was alerted to the fire when he heard children crying and went to investigate.
He found two young boys at the front door of the house at Dunaval Road shouting. A small girl emerged from the smoke and flames and he got them all to safety before running to raise the alarm. A short time later a fourth child was found in a nearby field.
Police arrived at the scene, together with a number of men from a nearby sports club, but were beaten back by the smoke and heat when they tried to enter the building.
When ambulance officers arrived they doused the fire and found the bodies of the man and woman on a landing.
The couple have not yet been named. The woman is understood to come from the Kilkeel area and the man from across the border in Co Donegal.
An RUC spokesman confirmed that the fire was being treated as suspicious and an examination of the scene was continuing to establish the cause.
Detective Chief Inspector Philip Aitken said: ‘‘We are investigating this tragic series of events and are trying to establish the last known movements of the deceased. No one is being sought in connection with the incident.’’
The three young children were today being cared for by relatives, unaware their parents were dead. The teenager was also staying with relatives. His father who is understood to be working in the Irish Republic was expected to be reunited with him before the day was out.
A relative caring for the children said: ‘‘The kids are fine, they’re 100%. The youngest ones don’t really know what happened. They are not fully aware of what took place yesterday.
‘‘The three youngest ones will be staying with us for the immediate future, until things are sorted out with the rest of the family.’’
