Family out of home again after two fires in 3 months
Trio living in hotel room as mum tells of fears over return to street
A MUM whose family fled a house fire twice in three months fears that a third blaze could lead to disaster.
May Keegan and her partner John Doody, who are both in their 50s, and son Sean, 13, were evacuated from their home for a second time on January 26.
Gardai rescued them when a neighbouring house went up in flames.
All three have spent the last 13 days in a €125-a-night hotel room at a cost of €1,625 so far, excluding their meals.
May, who lives at Haughton Place in New Ross, Co Wexford, is distressed by their temporary homelessness.
She said: “We just want to be home and safe.
“Both fires happened during the daytime. If they had broken out at night, we would be dead.
“Our bedroom just filled up with smoke.
“We had to leave our home when the first fire happened [last October 29] and couldn’t believe it when it happened again two weeks ago.
“That’s two house fires beside us in three months. We are worried there could be another and we dread to think of it. It is directly adjoining our property. I fear a third fire.
“We can’t go home because you can still smell and taste the smoke.
“It needs to be chemically cleaned. I’m hoping my insurance will cover everything, but my premiums will probably skyrocket after this.”
When the first blaze broke out, Waterford firefighters put out it out, while two Wexford crews wore breathing gear for search and rescue protocols of the three-storey buildings.
The family stayed with a relative before returning home to a downstairs room for a month while upper floors were chemically cleaned.
May said yesterday: “There was a lot more damage caused this second time.
“Our house was very badly smokedamaged. Everything was covered in a horrible, greasy, black coating.
“Sean has a Lego room upstairs with hundreds of pieces of Lego and it was all covered in a black residue.
“They had to clean every single piece. It took seven days to clean everything at a cost of €10,000 which was covered by our own house insurance. We got back in for Christmas.”
The horror was relived when gardai again called to the house at the outbreak of the second fire and knocked on the door to evacuate the family.
May said: “Sean was very upset and broke down in tears. He said, ‘Everything I love is in that house’.”
The family, which has owned the property for 15 years, moved into a hotel within hours and remain there today.
May added: “We were just getting over the first time and now we’re straight back to square one.
“I just want to feel safe in my own home.”
Gardai said “investigations are ongoing into both incidents”.
Neighbours have set up a Gofundme account to help May’s family and donations can be made at gofund.me/ afb8422f.