Three off-duty gardai heroically saved an elderly priest from a fire after he became engulfed in a blaze in his bedroom last week.Canon James Loughran (87) was on his own in the Parochial House, Esker, Lucan, Co Dublin, when he discovered his electric blanket was on fire last Wednesday, October 7.
The elderly priest, who miraculously escaped without injury, tried to quench the blaze with a fire extinguisher but, when he opened his bedroom window, the fire grew bigger.
Fr John Hassett, from St Patrick's parish, says Canon Loughran was very vulnerable and he was left extremely shaken after the fire, which broke out at around 7.40pm, but he was extremely lucky that help was available.
"He's 87 so it was traumatic for him. To think of him just with shoes and no laces standing on his own, it's hard.
"He smelt smoke so he went upstairs and he pulled up the duvet and the flames jumped out at him and he saw the mattress on fire. He opened the window but then that fanned the fire further," said Fr Hassett.
Three quick-thinking gardai from Blackrock Garda Station, who were not working at the time, saw the flames coming from the bedroom window and came to the priest's aid to usher him out of the house.
"The guards were wonderful and they were there within minutes. We're very grateful to them and to the Dublin Fire Brigade Services because they risked their own security and safety coming in to fight the fire."
Fr Hassett also stressed that workmen who were contracted by South Dublin County Council and were working on a road nearby came to help in the rescue.
Canon Loughran escaped burns and injury in what became a huge blaze, which destroyed the upstairs half of the parochial house.
"The house is in a very bad condition. There's nothing upstairs, and there's just one room downstairs intact. A structural engineer will look at it. I think the walls will be okay but not the roof," he said.
The elderly priest is now staying at Maryfield convalescent home in Chapelizod, where he will stay for the foreseeable future.
A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana confirmed: "The [off-duty gardai] are indeed stationed in Blackrock. They helped the male in question out of the house, and he did not receive any injuries."
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