LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

FIREFIGHTERS and gardaí remain at the scene of a fatal fire near Innishannon in west Cork in which two people have died, a man and a woman. 

The blaze broke out this morning at around 7am 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