Woman lucky to be alive as gardai launch investigation into Cushlawn house fire

GARDAI at Tallaght are currently investigating the cause of last night’s blaze in Cushlawn, which, ripping through a home, saw one woman forced to jump to safety from an upstairs window.

Starting shortly after 10pm, the blaze spread quickly through the home, engulfing the ground floor and forcing the woman, who was the sole occupant of the house, to edge her way out of an upstairs window before dropping to the ground.

The fire also put the lives of the neighbouring family at risk, who, alongside a number of children, had to be evacuated from their home due to high levels of smoke and fumes.

Those living locally told The Echo that a number of neighbours managed to kick in the front door.

However, the fire had already spread to the hall blocking entry in or out.

Amid local reports that an object was allegedly thrown at the house, deliberately starting the fire, one resident said: “The poor woman was screaming out of the top window, screaming for help.

“Some of the neighbours kicked in the front door but the fire had already reached the hall and it blew out the door.

“It really was a life or death situation for the woman, and she had to find her way out of a [top] window.”

The resident added: “There are kids living in that house but thank God they were away for the night.

“The fire spread so quickly, it destroyed everything… and this morning the woman had nothing, no clothes or anything.”

4 fire engines & 2 ambulances attended a house fire in #Tallaght last night. 1 person self rescued from an upstairs window #Dublin #fire pic.twitter.com/3L6L0v8NDy

— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) March 23, 2017

When contacted by The Echo, a senior Garda source told The Echo: “We don’t know yet what caused the fire but we are liaising with Dublin Fire Brigade to establish the cause.

“We can’t confirm at this stage if the fire was deliberate but we are investigating if an accelerant of some sort was used.

“We are not ruling anything out and are keeping an open mind.”

Tallaght Labour Party councillor Mick Duff told The Echo: “This woman was very lucky to get out safely and the family living next door was also blessed.

“Hopefully now we can find out what happened and the cause of the fire can be established.

“I am terrified at local reports that this fire could have been deliberate, this is not the type of activity we want in our communities.”