Couple who died in house fire in rural west Cork named locally

LAST UPDATE | 20 Oct

THE COUPLE WHO died in a house fire in rural west Cork have been named locally. 

Geraldine and Willie Hawkes died after a blaze broke out in their house at around 7am this morning. 

Geraldine was a former midwife at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork city and taught sewing classes in Knockavilla parish. Willie was a retired milk recorder.

The blaze broke out this morning in an isolated area which is near the townland of Raheen north of Crossbarry. 

The house is understood to have been significantly damaged in the blaze, which was well established when emergency services arrived. 

Searches were hampered by a collapsed roof at the scene and an initial searched through the damaged building led to the recovery of one body. 

Another search found the second victim of the fire. 

West Cork Independent Councillor, Alan Coleman, who lives in Innishannon said that the couple were well-known and liked locally.

“They didn’t have children themselves but they had an extended family. The community will rally around them. They (the couple) were very involved in the community. They both grew up and spent their whole lives here.”

Councillor John Collins of Independent Ireland, who lives in Bandon, said that the elderly couple and their relatives were in the thoughts and prayers of the people of west Cork. He described as “very sad.”

Fire services from Bandon and Cork city attended the scene were assisted by gardaí and the ambulance service. 

- With reporting by Olivia Kelleher