28/01/2005

Two people perish in Derry house fire

Two people, both reported to be in their 40s, have died in a house fire in Londonderry in the early hours of Friday morning.

The bodies were discovered in the hallway near to the front door of a house at Cashelhill Park in the Shantallow area at around 3.30am this morning.

One of the bodies, a male, is believed to be that of a neighbour of the dead woman. He is thought to have died while attempting to rescue her when a smoke alarm had alerted him to the fire.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been ascertained. However, it is believed to have been largely confined to a bedroom in the house. The Fire Service confirmed that a further examination of the scene is to be carried out.

Elsewhere overnight, army bomb experts made safe an incendiary device found in a shop in Hill Street in Newry.

Police asked keyholders in Newry to return to search their premises following the discovery on Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the week, police had warned shop owners to be on the alert after a weekend fire at a shop in Strabane, which was caused by an incendiary device.

(MB/SP)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

19 November 2024
Police Appeal After Arson Attack In Newtownards
Detectives have renewed an appeal for information following a deliberate arson attack at a vacant property in the Weaver's Grange area of Newtownards. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, 17 November, 2023. Police and firefighters were called to the scene at around 12:40am.
19 November 2024
Two Arrested After High-Speed Police Chase In West Belfast
Two men have been arrested following a high-speed police chase in west Belfast early Monday morning. At around 2:30 AM, police spotted a white Volkswagen Golf traveling at excessive speed on the Westlink.
14 November 2024
Police Appeal Following Burglary In Ahoghill
Detectives are appealing for information following a report of a burglary in Ahoghill on Tuesday, 12th November. Police received a report that the back door of a house on the Ballymena Road was forced open shortly before 6pm.
22 November 2024
Pedestrian Injured In Belfast Hit-and-Run
The PSNI have issued an appeal for information following a hit-and-run incident in the Botanic Avenue area of Belfast in the early hours of Thursday morning. Officers were called to the scene shortly before 1.30am after a male pedestrian was struck by a maroon Mazda. Despite being injured, the pedestrian left the area before police arrived.
21 November 2024
Attempted Carjacking In West Belfast
Police are investigating an attempted carjacking in west Belfast on Tuesday, November 19th. At around 5:30pm, a man entered a parked car at Hillhead Court and attempted to steal it. A woman passenger was assaulted when she resisted the man's demands. The suspect, described as a man in his 20s wearing all black, fled the scene on foot.