A woman who lost her life in a Roscommon house fire last year died as a result of smoke inhalation.
The verdict was returned into the death of 58 year old Noreen Flanagan, of An Graig, Athleague, at a sitting of Roscommon Coroner's court this week.
The fatal incident occurred in Athleague on the 17th of June 2021 and emergency services were alerted after a neighbour first saw smoke coming from Noreen Flanagan's house.
The local man attempted to gain entry to the property and alert her but was unable to due to the volume of smoke.
On attending the scene, units of the Fire Brigade gained entry through the back of the house and extinguished the blaze.
The 58 year old was found in her bed and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
A Garda and Fire Service investigation found the fire began on a couch and was possibly caused by a lit cigarette.
A post mortem examination found a moderate amount of alcohol in her system and concluded that she died from Carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation.
The Roscommon coroner along with representatives of an Garda Síochána expressed their sympathy towards Noreen's sisters who attended the inquest.
They also paid tribute to the actions of her neighbour over his efforts to render aid while waiting on the fire brigade.
