Father and son died as result of smoke inhalation
A father and son who died following a fire in their apartment complex died as a result of inhalation of smoke and fire gases which caused toxic levels of carbon monoxide in their systems.
Christopher ‘Sonny’ Harte (63) and his son Sean (34) died when a fire ripped through an apartment building on Market Street on April 22nd 2017.
The complex was made up of five apartments and a ground floor shop which was vacant at the time.
The circumstances of their tragic deaths are currently the subject of a criminal case.
The jury delivered a unanimous verdict of death due to toxic levels of carbon monoxide in the case of Sonny Harte, while the jury delivered a majority verdict of death due to toxic levels of carbon monoxide in the case of Sean Harte.
Coroner Eamon McGowan sympathised with the Harte family: “It’s a terrible time for the Harte family. These things shouldn’t happen in a modern society, if they happened 100 years ago they would have been scandals,” he told the court.
The inquest heard that Gardai on Pearse Street noticed a large volume of smoke close to town in the early hours of Saturday, April 22nd.
The Gardai went towards High Street and reported a fire on Market Street. The building was engulfed in flames and they were unable to enter the building.
Four units of the fire service attended the scene, with two casualties found in 25E Market Street.
There was no fire in the apartment, just huge volumes of smoke.
A file was sent to the DPP, and there was no Garda prosecution in the aftermath.
The inquest was adjourned as a result of proceedings being taken by the local authority in relation to the incident.