Family thanks neighbours who rebuilt Kinsale home after devastating fire
A KINSALE couple have sent out a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the army of volunteers who helped them rebuild their house after a fire.
Edel and Nicky O’Regan could only look on in dismay as their home in Dunderrow went up in flames with the blaze ripping through the roof and gutting the bedrooms of the property.
But by 6am the following morning they were greeted with the sight of dozens of friends and neighbours who worked tirelessly to help clear the site.
The aftermath of the blaze showing how it demolished the back wall of the house. (Photos courtesy of Edel O’Regan)
Edel (58) told The Southern Star: ‘We had 60 volunteers here for the clean-up. There were 36 men up in 30 degree heat taking down the damaged roof. They had it roofed and slated in 48 hours, something that would normally take weeks.’
The family’s four children – Michael (28), Rachel (25), Aaron (23), and Jamie (20) – were all at home at the time. Rachel, a nurse, had just returned from her job in Scotland before departing for a new job in Melbourne, Australia.
Edel told how she’d just called her son Jamie in for dinner on the evening of Thursday July 10th when he spotted flames coming from the garage.
She said: ‘We tried to put it out but it went too fast for us. The fire brigade from Kinsale, Carrigaline and Bandon were all there within minutes (including Edel’s nephew Brian O’Regan). They were there until one in the morning.
‘They said they’d never witnessed heat like it in 25 years. The heat melted the facia of my mother-in-law’s cottage next door. There were tyres popping. The smoke could be seen as far away as Riverstick (13km).’
Neighbours and volunteers on site.
Edel told how Jamie opened the garage door as soon as he spotted black smoke, ran inside and removed a gas tank. ‘It was very brave but it was very stupid too. It would have exploded, so in a way he saved us. It was like a bomb had gone off, the whole back wall was gone.’
At 5am the next morning a shocked Edel and her plumber husband Nicky (53) were surveying the damage when people started arriving and by noon it was a fully-fledged work site.
‘Within two hours there were ten men on site with diggers and skips, by 10am I tried to do a head count but I couldn’t,’ said Edel. ‘It was a very hot weekend. We’d women coming around with sandwiches and water.’
She told how Eli Lily dropped over ‘dinner, lunch and supper’ along with ‘vats of hot water for teas and coffees’. Neighbours came by with soft drinks, ice creams and sun cream. By Friday evening timber for the roof was on site and by Sunday evening the new roof was on. The family, who are staying with a relative, are now at the painting stage and hope to return home within days.
The family outside the property mid-way through the rebuild.
‘It was literally the Irish DIY SOS,’ said Edel. ‘It was unbelievable how they gave up their time, we are just overwhelmed. It reminds me of the old days when farmers helped each other out.
‘They lifted our spirits so much. We will never be able to pay them back. When we get back in we will have a gathering for them.’
The family has overcome challenges in the past. Nicky was on dialysis for six years waiting for a kidney donor but none of the family was a match. Edel stepped up for a ‘kidney swap’ scheme in the UK. ‘I gave my kidney to a young man in England and we got a kidney from someone else in England that was a match for Nicky.
‘This was all done during COVID and it took six weeks. We were away from the kids and it was tough. But we said we came through that and we’ll come through this too.’
Three cars and all Nicky’s plumbing equipment were destroyed in the fire but Edel said the family is thankful to have survived and have such great support.
She sent out a special thanks to Eli Lily, local families, neighbours, local farmers, Dan Twomey, Cork Builders Suppliers, Kinsale Tile Store, Cork City Floor Sanders, Slievegullane Construction and Arthur Coman.
