Children rescued from fire making a full recovery
THE three children rescued from a burning building on upper Mary Street in New Ross in late April were released from hospital early last week and are making a full recovery.
The three boys were upstairs when the fire broke out under the stairs of the three-story house, which is the home of a family of seven who are originally from Poland, on the afternoon of Friday, April 27. Three fire crews attended the scene, two of which arrived from New Ross, within seven minutes of receiving the call at 3.30 p.m.
Having been alerted to the fire by builder Peter O’Neill, who tried to enter the building only to be overcome with black smoke, the firemen used a ladder to bravely pull two children, aged nine and seven, and their father, a man in his 30s, from the three-storey building’s top floor.
As they were being carried from the smokefilled building, the eldest child pointed back and shouted that his brother was still inside.
The child, believed to be two-years-old, was heard coughing and was found lying on the floor next to his bed. He was carried downstairs and CPR was performed on him by paramedics.
The children and their father were removed by ambulance to University Hospital Waterford, along with Mr O’Neill, with fears growing for the youngest child’s wellbeing as he took a turn on the way.
But he made a full recovery and the children were temporarily relocated to a relative’s home in Dublin until accommodation can be sourced in New Ross.
Superintendent John McDonald said: ‘We are continuing to investigate the fire but presently nothing seems untoward. It appears to have been potentially an electrical issue. Thankfully, after treatment, everybody has been released from hospital.’