Writes Ciaran Dineen
Over €20,000 has been raised to support the victim of a house fire which occurred in Carrigaline on December 23rd which led to the tragic death of a John (Seán) Lynch, formerly of Fountainstown and Dunlops.
House Fire – December 23rd
Shortly after 9pm a fire broke out at the house, located in The Court, Waterpark estate. The blaze was eventually brought under control by a number of units which attended the scene, emanating from the Carrigaline, Crosshaven and Cork City units.
An aerial support platform was used by fire services to fight the fire, and as there was a risk of it spreading across to adjacent houses, but the fire was fully extinguished before this occurred. After the fire had been contained, responders entered the premises and upon an investigation of the dwelling, they discovered the remains of a 86 year-old male, later identified as Seán Lynch.
The family’s pet, Romeo, was also sadly killed in the incident. Gardai have said they are not treating the blaze as suspicious, but a full investigation is underway to determine the cause of the tragedy.
Seán had lived with his son, David at their home in Waterpark before a fire broke out on the eve of Christmas Eve, which sadly resulted in the death of his father, despite the efforts of local fire brigade units. At the time of the incident, David had been shopping to get some last minute bits before Christmas, according to the Go Fund Me Page.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the tragic incident, friends and neighbours of David rallied together and set-up a Go Fund Me page, with all donations made to go to David as part of his efforts to “begin rebuilding his life”, having lost all of his possessions in the fire.
A statement accompanying the page states, “with no home or family this terrible tragedy has made us want to reach out and try and fundraise to help David with the immediate costs that have already started, begin to fund alternative accommodation and try to, despite the horrific tragedy, begin to move forward. In the short-term David needs to pay for funeral costs and new accommodation and remediation costs to just make the house safe in the interim. We hope, especially at this time of year so special for families that you may be able to donate any amount no matter how small to help our friend who has lost family and all possessions to begin rebuilding his life.”
Within two days of being set up the page had raised over €13,000 for David, with donations pouring in and ranging from €5 to €500. As well as making financial contributions, messages of general support have also been made by members of the local community, with many sharing memories of Seán, notably including times when he was seen walking his dog, Romeo.
At time of writing the page has raised over €19,000. Those that wish to donate to the cause can do so by heading to Gofundme.com and searching “David’s Fund”.
We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to David on the loss of his father and to his friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.
People can donate at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tbdmv8-davids-fund