Young girls on sleepover save family from devastating…

Young girls on sleepover save family from devastating fire in Irish town as community rallies to raise €55,000

Two young girls have been praised for their quick-thinking after a family avoided fatalities in a devastating house fire.

The Kenneally family from Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny, all managed to get to safety before their house was destroyed by fire overnight last Thursday thanks to the actions of their daughter and her friend who were having a sleepover at the time.

The incident happened in the early hours of Thursday morning when their eldest daughter Anna, 11, woke them to tell them of an impending disaster outside.

Anna and her friend were thankfully still awake chatting when they heard a noise outside and looked out to find the garage was on fire. They quickly rushed to wake Anna's parents - Derek and Deirdre Kenneally - and tell them what was happening.

The frantic parents ran to get their sons Eoin, 8, and Oisin, 6, as well as Anna and her friend out of the house. They also saved their family dog from the burning garage before the fire spread.

"When they were all outside, while calling the fire brigade, they noticed the roof of the house had caught fire. In a matter of minutes, the whole house was ablaze," a GoFundMe page set up by the local Mullinavat GAA & Camogie clubs explained. The garage was actually 14 feet away from the house.

Derek and Deirdre, who both work at University Hospital Waterford, were left devastated. The Irish Times reported that fire investigators told the couple that a water pump in the shed was the source of the fire. The family were quick to warn other not to keep fire accelerants like paint close to their water pump if it's in a shed of garage.

Derek told the Irish Times: “We see heartbreak and torment every day in work but when it happens to your own family, it’s just not something you can ever expect or be prepared for."

He explained how mounting outgoings caused the family to put off renewing their home insurance until next year leaving them in a perilous situation. The local community have been fundraising on GoFundMe with over €55,000 now raised to help the Kenneallys get back on their feet. Derek said they couldn't thank people enough.

Their local GAA clubs launched the fundraiser and said: "We know the family have been blown away by the help and support they have received over the past few days from neighbours and friends. These offers of help and support spurred us to set up this page in the hope they can start to rebuild their lives."

Donations have been coming in from all over the world and the family is thankful for that support and the fact that they are alive to pick up the pieces.