Fried fish shop in flames, one dead

Mr Porka’s fried fish shop, at 11 Sarsfield Quay, caught fire today and the blaze quickly spread from the ground floor shop to the whole of the three storey building above.

Once the fire was noticed by a passerby, the fire brigade were alerted. The nearby Royal Barracks were also called, and 300 officers and men fought the blaze while they waited for the fire brigade. The Murray family, who lived on the second floor of the building were able to make good their escape, but the Whelans, a elderly married couple who lived on the top floor, were not.

With the flames spreading rapidly, a blanket and oil cloth were procured by those attending the fire, and the Whelans were encouraged to leap from their window to safety. Mrs Whelan did jump, and was safely caught. As the flames spread, Mr Whelan, who was also an invalid, managed to get onto his window ledge and jump, but he unfortunately leapt before his rescuers had got the blanket and oil cloth spread out again.

Sadly Mr Whelan fell twenty feet, and landed head first on the pavement. Although he was taken to the hospital, he was announced dead with the cause being recorded as a fracture of the skull.