This article is from page 3 of the 2007-03-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE dangers of home heaters have been highlighted after a pensioner lost his life in a blaze at an Ennis house over the weekend.
Michael Moloney (67) died from smoke inhalation after an electrical bar heater toppled at his home, in Ashfield Park on the Gort Road in Ennis, on Friday afternoon.
He was a native of Knockanena, Caher, in East Clare, and had lived in Ennis for a number of years.
Mr Moloney, a single man, is un-
derstood to have died as a result of inhaling smoke fumes, after a bar heater toppled and set carpet in his bedroom on fire.
His body was discovered on the floor of his bedroom, near the heater, by another resident of the house, at around 4pm.
The fire is understood to have bro- ken out a short time earlier. Another tenant of the house was in another bedroom at the time, but he did not sustain injuries.
A post-mortem examination of Mr Moloney’s body took place at Limer-
ick Regional Hospital yesterday, the initial results of which indicate he died due to smoke inhalation.
Mr Moloney is survived by his brother and two sisters, who live in East Clare. He is to be laid to rest to- day (Tuesday).
Gardai investigating Mr Moloney’s death are not treating it as suspicious. “We are happy there was no foul play. We are treating this as an accident,” said a garda spokesman.
The county’s fire officers have stressed the importance of assem- bling a plan, in an effort to ensure
fires do not destroy lives. They strongly advocate the use of smoke alarms and to plan an escape drill, in the event of a fire.
Senior Fire Officer in Clare, Denis O’Connell is warning people to be vigilant when using heaters.
He said heaters with a naked flame require high levels of vigilance and clothes should not be placed near Wetoeee
“We recommend people use oil- filled heaters, as there is no naked flame involved. There is a certain level of safety required in any heat-
ing system that has a naked flame,” he said.
He is warning people to be mindful of the potential dangers of heaters.
“People should use smoke detec- tors. Fires should be guarded, elec- tric units should be switched off and chimneys should be swept twice a year,’ he said.
“The people most at risk from fire deaths are elderly people living alone,” he pointed out.
He said when they inspect homes, fire officers in Clare do not recom- mend the use of naked flame heaters.