Pat Flynn

An elderly woman has died in a house fire in West Clare overnight.

It is understood that the alarm was raised shortly before 11pm on Thursday by a neighbour who noticed the blaze at the property at Farrihy near Kilkee.

Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Kilkee and Kilrush stations responded to the incident along with National Ambulance Service paramedics and gardaí.

Fire crews discovered the woman’s body inside the property after they had extinguished the fire, and it was safe to enter the building. The house was extensively damaged in the blaze.

The woman’s body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem examination will be carried out.

A technical examination of the scene is expected to be carried out this morning as part of the garda investigation into the tragedy. The fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Anyone who may have information on the incident is being asked to contact Ennis or Kilrush Garda Station on (065) 9080550.