Kilmainhamwood couple escape blazing bungalow with their lives

A Kilmainhamwood couple were lucky to escape a blaze that broke out in their home while they slept in the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Rose and Shay Reilly were asleep in their Robertstown home when the barking of their dogs woke them and they discovered their house was on fire when thick black smoke met them in the hallway. The couple were fortunate to make it out of the house before the fire took hold and they escaped uninjured with their two dogs and raised the alarm at about 1.15am. Much of the house was gutted in the outbreak. Mrs Reilly told the Meath Chronicle yesterday (Tuesday) that only for their bedroom was to the right side of the house and near the door, they would not have made it through the thick black smoke. The fire is believed to have begun in the living room, and spread to gut one side of the house. Nobber Fire Service were quickly on the scene and brought the fire under control, preventing it from spreading into the roof. A crew from Kells Fire service also was on hand to help extinguish the blaze. When the fire service arrived at the house, they met the blaze in the hall and the living room and another bedroom was also ablaze. Firefighters entered the house with breathing apparatus to bring the fire under control before it spread further. Fire crews remained on the scene until 4.30am. The living room, hall and bedroom were completely gutted and the rest of the house suffered extensive smoke damage. Mr and Mrs Reilly were uninjured but were shocked and upset to see their home of 26 years destroyed, though they were thankful to escape without injury. 'It was unbelievable, you don"t realise what is happening at the time, you just run. I was standing outside in my nightdress,' recalled Mrs Reilly. 'I jumped out of bed and went into the hall and thick black smoke met me. I shouted and gathered the two dogs and ran out the door,' she said. Luckily, the bedroom the couple slept in was near the door and Mrs Reilly said that, if they had slept on the other side of the house, they would not have made it through the thick smoke. Mrs Reilly said she just kept walking around and was in shock. However, they did manage to get the keys from the hall table to move their car as they were afraid the car would also go up in flames. In the same weekend where a couple lost their lives in a house fire in Mayo, Mrs Reilly said she now realises how quickly smoke could get you. Mrs Reilly paid tribute to the local fire service and said they were quickly on the scene and were 'brilliant' and a 'credit'. Even though they arrived quickly, Mrs Reilly said it felt like an hour as she watched the smoke coming from the four corners of the house. She said there is smoke damage throughout the house and that the part of the dwelling to the left of the front door is destroyed. 'I don"t know what is gone until I go looking. Everything in the sitting room is gone and the hotpress is destroyed,' said Mrs Reilly, adding that she didn"t know where to start with clearing things up. The couple are currently staying with friends to whom they are very grateful. Mrs Reilly also thanked their neighbours for their support during their traumatic night.