Community support for family seriously injured in house fire

A FUNDRAISER for a family that sustained serious injuries in a house fire in Deerpark Drive, Kiltipper, will be held on Monday, May 2.

The Doherty family, consisting of Joanne and Glen Doherty and their daughter Jessica, who is in her late teens, son Tommy, aged 12, and their five-month-old grandson were rescued from the house in the early hours of Thursday, April 14.

Glen is currently in a coma in St James’ Hospital, while Tommy is being treated in Children’s Health Ireland, Crumlin, after sustaining third degree burns over 70 per cent of his body.

Joanne suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after she was rescued from the house and is currently recovering in Tallaght University Hospital, while Jessica and her son, Harrison, were treated for smoke inhalation after the fire and are now staying with family members.

The alarm was raised by Jessica, who called out for help from the upstairs front bedroom window, which prompted one of their neighbours to stand on a wheelie bin to catch baby Harrison and help Jessica out of the burning house.

Other neighbours then retrieved Tommy from a back room in the house, before firefighters from Dublin Fire Brigade arrived on scene and rescued Joanne and Glen. The Echo understands that the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Family friend Trisha Hopkins has organised a car wash fundraiser in aid of the family next week, which will be staffed by children, from ages six to 17, that Joanne cared for over her many years as a childcare worker.

Reflecting on what the Doherty family will face in the coming weeks, Trisha said: “It’s a long, long road to recovery that they’re going to have.

“I was devastated when I found out about the fire. It was just very sad for it to happen to them and we didn’t even know if they were going to survive – there was a 50/50 chance that they wouldn’t.”

All of the family’s belongings were destroyed in the blaze, and Trisha said the Dohertys are currently taking each day as it comes.

The fundraiser will enable the family to purchase some belongings, and to get back on their feet in the aftermath of the house fire.

“We’re just going to hold the car wash and see how it goes,” said Trisha. “Joanne is just so grateful and thankful to everyone, and to the neighbours who saved her son’s, daughter’s and grandson’s lives.”

Joanne is a native of Allenton in Ballycragh, and is well known in the area for the many years when she worked alongside Trisha in the Bohernabreena Enterprise Centre.

Trisha is hoping the community will come out in force to support the car wash fundraiser in the Deerpark Road Car Park on Monday, May 2, from 2pm to 4pm with a cost of €5 per car.

Power washing tools for the fundraiser are being supplied by Tallaght-based window cleaning, garden maintenance and gutter clearance company Scrub Busters.

Trisha is planning to hold another fundraiser for the Dohertys in June, in the form of a family fun day on the green in Allenton Estate.