WE WERE HOMELESS
Father of family who died in fire at refuge tells of his heartache
A GRIEVING father has said that his partner and young daughter – both of whom died tragically in a fire this week – had sought refuge accommodation after finding themselves homeless.
Speaking exclusively to the Irish Mail on Sunday yesterday, Seán Patel paid tribute to his pregnant partner, Ann Marie O’Brien, 27, and their little girl, Hannah Paris Patel, two, who died in the devastating blaze at the women’s refuge in Dublin.
Ann Marie, known as Ann, and Hannah Paris, known as Paris, died when the apartment – owned by the charity Sonas and located in Kilcronan Avenue, Clondalkin – went on fire on the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Her cousin, Biddy O’Brien, and her children Jordan, four, and Holly, one, were also in the apartment at the time. Holly died at the scene and Jordan was pronounced dead a number of hours later. Biddy is currently fighting for her life in hospital.
Mr Patel, 27, told the MoS last night that Ann and Paris were staying in the Clondalkin apartment after they had been left with ‘no choice’ but for him to live with friends and her to find accommodation through the refuge.
Mr Patel described Ann as a ‘loving mother’ and said that she and Paris could ‘never live without the other’.
He said he and Ann were made homeless some time ago and had been looking for a family home. Ann was due to have their second child, a boy, in three weeks’ time.
Mr Patel told the MoS: ‘Ann was a kind person and a loving mother. The two of them could never live without the other. She always made sure Hannah Paris Patel had the best care and unconditional love that a child could get from a mother.
‘All she wanted was a home for us. That’s why, when there was no option left, she ended up seeking accommodation at the refuge.
‘I am so lost and nothing can fill this emptiness. I will miss them dearly and will always treasure the moments we had. I will always appreciate that they once existed in my life. It’s going be hard to move on. May their souls find eternal peace.’
Mr Patel added that when they were made homeless, Ann and Paris had to live in the refuge.
‘I went on to live with my friends and they eventually gave her an apartment in Sandyford. Later on, she moved to Clondalkin.’
Weeks earlier, on Valentine’s Day, Ann Marie had left a message on Mr Patel’s page which read: ‘Happy Valentines Day, Daddy, lots of love, your princess xxx.’
On a thread on Facebook, Ann Marie’s sister, Donna Nicole Kelly Devlin, said this week: ‘Seán loved my sister and my beautiful niece more than anything in this world.’
Mr Patel – who is originally from Malawi, but has lived in Ballymun for a number of years – is currently staying with his brother in Galway as he attempts to come to terms with his tremendous loss.
His family, who are living in the UK, Africa and Galway, are travelling today to Dublin ahead of the funeral tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Biddy O’Brien remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Her family, including her partner, Jamie McGinn, are maintaining a bedside vigil.
Jim O’Brien from the Bray Travellers Community Development Group, who is also related to all those involved in the fire, told the MoS that Biddy underwent a six-hour surgery on Friday and is now ‘critically’ ill.
Biddy suffered extensive burns as well as smoke inhalation.