Books of condolence have been opened in Dún Laoghaire, Dundrum and the Mansion House in Dublin for the 10 people who lost their lives in a fire in Carrickmines, Co Dublin.
A book of condolence was opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh at the Mansion House in Dublin as well as at the offices of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in Dún Laoghaire and Dundrum Town Centre.
President Michael D Higgins signed the book of condolence at the Mansion House.
The cause of the fire, in which five adults and five children died and three people were injured, is still being investigated.
Garda forensic teams today returned to the scene of the fire to sift through what remains of the two burned residential units.
One was totally destroyed in Saturday's fatal blaze.
Post-mortem examinations have been completed at Tallaght Hospital by the Assistant State Pathologist and while all ten have been named, official identification of the remains has yet to take place and will likely be based on DNA and dental records.
President Higgins and wife sabina's messages of condolence pic.twitter.com/ecVK8GQjOc
— Conor Hunt (@conorfhunt) October 12, 2015
The Lord Mayor of Dublin has said she has asked for a fire safety audit of all halting sites in the Dublin city area following the fire.
Ms Ní Dhálaigh said we need to learn that this can never happen again and we need to ensure that our halting sites are safe.
She said such fire audits should take place across the country.
People waiting outside mansion house to sign book of condolence for victims of carrickmines fire pic.twitter.com/5INasyln8J
— Conor Hunt (@conorfhunt) October 12, 2015
The ten people who died have not been named officially by gardaí, but have been identified locally and on social media.
They are Willie Lynch and Tara Gilbert and daughters Kelsey and Jodie, Thomas and Sylvia Connors and their children Jim, Christy and six-month old Mary.
39-year-old Jimmy Lynch, a brother of Willie, also died in the fire. Two adults and a child injured in the blaze remain in hospital.
The alarm was raised at 4.24am yesterday with six units of the Dublin Fire Brigade on the scene and a number of paramedics and ambulances.
A member of the Dublin Fire Service said that it seemed the fire broke out in a prefab in the halting site, which quickly spread to surrounding units.
Gardaí are investigating the cause of the blaze but early indications are that it was not a criminal act and it is not being treated as suspicious.
It is understood the scene was difficult to examine due to the extensive damage caused by the blaze and the number of people caught up in it.
'Political will biggest obstacle for securing traveller accommodation' - Irish Traveller Movement Chairperson
The Chairperson of the Irish Traveller Movement has said that political will has been one of the biggest obstacles in securing accommodation for travellers.
Catherine Joyce told RTÉ’s Drivetime that the incident at Carrickmines can happen at any site at any time because families forced into temporary provisions are living there for longer periods.
Ms Joyce said there are 445 unauthorised sites in the country, where there are no provisions provided by the local authority, and said there needs to be a serious commitment in the provision of accommodation.
St Vincent de Paul sets up Carrickmines fire fund
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Director of the Southside Traveller Action Group, Geraldine Dunne, said that the site at Glenamuck Road, where the fire broke out was a temporary one, but that a number of families had been living on it.
She said that she was working closely with the council and the family in order to find a solution to help them with their accommodation.
She said the best way to help is through a donation fund account, created by St Vincent’s de Paul, and that if people want to help they should contact the charity.
The Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Dublin Fire Brigade has said he has never before witnessed a tragedy of the scale of the fire.
Dennis Keeley, who has almost 30 years service with Dublin Fire Brigade, said a large number of resources were applied in order to bring the blaze under control.
"On arrival at the incident one unit was well alight and the crew were obviously faced with a very difficult and extensive fire scene.
"And as you can imagine the horrific circumstances as they were unfolding there was quite a number of distraught family members and friends at the scene. And the fact there were a number of casualties," he said.
