Man dies in Ashbourne fire

A man had died in a fire that gutted a house in Ashbourne last night.
The fire was spotted by a passer-by who alerted emergency services at around 10pm.
The Gardai were the first to arrive at the scene, at a cottage close to Ashbourne Rugby Club, and kicked the door in, but were beaten back by the flames.
The fire brigade arrived a short time later and Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin firefighters battled to get the blaze, which had taken hold of the entire cottage, under control.
They recovered the body of a man from the house and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The scene was cordoned off and garda forensic experts were investigating the cause of the fire.
Chief Fire Officer, Padraig O’Longaigh commended the work of the fire crews, who worked at the scene until around 3am this morning.