Heartbreak as father and son die in Tipperary house fire

A Tipperary village has been hit by a tragedy before Christmas as two men have died following a house fire.

The father and son, aged in their 80s and 50s, passed away in the early hours of Monday morning.

They were named locally as Stephen Lee and his son John, with members of the community sharing that they were “held in high esteem”.

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Gardaí and emergency services have remained at the house, which is located in Littleton, Thurles, County Tipperary.

The fire occurred at around 2.30am, with fire services extinguishing it.

A garda spokesperson said: “Two men, aged in their 80s and 50s, have been pronounced deceased. The bodies of the deceased remain at the scene. The scene is currently being preserved for technical examination. Investigations are ongoing.”

Tipperary Fire Service received a call around 2.34am about the fire, with two fire brigades from Thurles and Templemore arriving at the scene.

A spokesperson for the fire service in north Tipperary confirmed that the fire was shortly brought under control.

The local community’s parish priest, Fr Tom Fogarty, shared that the father and son were well known and deeply respected in their village.

He described the older man as a “quiet, unassuming man”. He added: “It’s a double shock to the family. It has left people shocked really. He was a very friendly, courteous man. It’s just so sad for everybody. It really is.”

He was called to the fire and referred to it as “heartbreaking”.

“Everybody is in shock and dumbfounded,” he said. “He would be the old style, very religious man. He was predeceased by his wife a little over 18 months ago.”

Fr Fogarty added: “It’s the worst thing you can be called to. I saw him less than 48 hours ago.”