Son saves dad in fire drama near Summerhill

An elderly man whose live was saved by his son after he rescued him from a house fire on Friday evening remains in intensive care this week but is expected to make a full recovery. If it wasn"t for his son"s quick actions, the elderly man would almost certainly have perished in the blaze in south Meath. The incident was the second serious fire in a rural house in the county in the past week and came just a few days after a family in Kilmainhamwood were lucky to escape with their lives after flames ripped through their bungalow. Charles Flattery Snr was upstairs in his home at Agher, Summerhill, on Friday when his wife heard a thump upstairs. When she went to investigate, she saw smoke coming down the stairs and quickly telephoned her son, Charlie, who lives nearby. Mr Flattery Jnr rushed to his parents" home and said he saw smoke coming from the windows. He rushed upstairs but was pushed back by the smoke. Mr Flattery ran back to get a wet cloth which he put over his nose and mouth and returned upstairs where he found his father lying on the landing where he was only semi-conscious. Mr Flattery managed to drag his father halfway down the stairs and carried him the rest of the way. An ambulance was quickly on the scene and Mr Flattery Snr was taken to Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, where he is in a stable condition in the intensive care unit. It is thought that the fire was caused by a chimney fire that escalated in the two-storey house. An earlier chimney fire was extinguished but it is thought that the heat may have radiated to another disused flue in the same chimney breast. An upstairs fireplace was blocked off but the slab went on fire and this fire then spread to a wardrobe. Trim Fire Service were quickly on the scene and contained the fire to the upstairs bedroom. It is understood that there were not many flames but a lot of smoke and a crew of firefighters from Trim entered the house wearing breathing apparatus and were able to quickly douse the flames and stop the outbreak spreading to other rooms. The bedroom was fire-damaged and there was also substantial smoke damage to the rest of the upstairs of the house. Mr Flattery Jnr has paid tribute to both the ambulance service and Trim Fire Service for their promptness and said they could not have done any more to help or get there quicker. He said his father had suffered smoke inhalation but is in recovery. He said he has improved slightly and should make a full recovery.