Three people have been arrested in relation to a fatal house fire that killed a father and daughter in Co. Kerry back in 2012.
Gardaí issued an update on their investigation into the tragedy this morning after more than ten years of investigating the incident that occurred in Kileen Heights, Tralee, Co. Kerry, on May 12, 2012.
Back in June 2022, a man in his 30s was arrested in connection with the fatal fire but has since been released without charge with a file being prepared for the DPP.
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This morning, September 1, a further two men, both in their 40s, were arrested and are currently detained for questioning under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at Tralee and Killarney Garda stations.
The victims of the fire were a 30-year-old father, Anthony O’Brien, and his five-year-old daughter Nadine. The girl’s mother, 29-year-old Kelly O’Brien, was also in the house at the time, but escaped by jumping from an upstairs window - breaking her leg.
According to reports from 2012, the fire broke out at the semi-detached house in Killeen Heights in Oakpark at around 2:20 am that morning.
Gardai rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised by a neighbour who could hear shouting coming from the home. Officers made several attempts to get into the house to rescue its occupants but were hindered by the huge flames and smoke.
Firefighters then arrived on the scene within minutes and located the bodies of the victims in an upstairs bedroom. They tried to resuscitate them both but were unsuccessful in their attempts.
The house was completely destroyed, and gardai quickly launched an investigation into its cause.
At the time of the tragedy, the mayor of Tralee, Councillor Grace Kelly, said the local community was devastated by the deaths.
“The people in Tralee are devastated. It’s quite a well-known estate in town that they lived in with a lot of young families and a very community-orientated area. There’s a sense of despair. It’s so tragic.”
In a statement today, a garda spokesperson gave an update saying: “Gardaí investigating a fatal house fire that occurred at a property on Kileen Heights, Tralee, Co. Kerry, on 12th May 2012 have arrested three people. A man aged in his 30s was arrested in June 2022. He has since been released without charge with a file being prepared for the DPP.
“A further two men (both in their 40s) were arrested this morning, Thursday 1st September 2022. Both are currently detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at Tralee and Killarney Garda stations.”
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