Clonmany man narrowly escapes house fire caused by badly-deteriorated wiring

Concerns have been raised at the condition of electrical wiring in older homes across Donegal.

This comes as a man living in Clonmany narrowly escaped when his house went on fire due to badly-deteriorated wiring.

The issue was raised by Cllr Martin McDermott of Inishowen MD at the November plenary meeting of Donegal County Council.

He asked: “That this Council request the Executive to run a public information campaign reminding homeowners to have their electrical systems checked, particularly in respect of older homes.

“A number of houses have recently come to my attention with wiring failures, which pose a  serious safety risk - particularly for elderly people living alone. Furthermore, I ask that this motion be circulated to all Councils, as this measure has the potential to save lives.” 

Cllr McDermott outlined the dangers of old electrical wiring, bringing photos of badly damaged wires into the Council House in Lifford. 

“In the last year, I’ve encountered a number of older homes that people are living in, particularly older people living alone, where the electrical system has deteriorated,” he said.

“The coating around the wires melts because of the longevity of the cabling. The old black and red cabling turns into a blue-green glue. It short circuits either in the plug or in the light and it causes a fire. 

“There was one very close incident in Clonmany a couple of weeks back where a house went on fire, and only the next door neighbour happened to come in and there was an old man living on his own. When the electrician got there, all the wires were deteriorated. This is about the sixth house that this electrician has been in in the past nine months that this has happened to.”

Cllr McDermott emphasised that the issue is especially prevalent in homes built from the 1960s up to the 1980s. He said the elderly man had to move into a nursing home for a number of weeks after the fire.

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Cllr McDermott warned that old electrical wires give off a smell when they are deteriorating.

Cllr Ciaran Brogan, Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny-Milford MD, seconded the motion and commended Cllr McDermott for highlighting grants that are available to older people in Donegal.

The motion was welcomed by the council, with attention drawn to the Housing Aid for Older People Grant.

Donegal County Council has been holding a series of information evenings this month on housing-related supports. The next event will take place on Thursday, November 27 in Dungloe Public Services Centre, An Clochán Liath, F94 WV84, from 4pm-7pm.

A public information evening will take place on Monday, December 1, in The Base, Stranorlar, F93 AOE4, from 4pm-7pm.