6 Nuns Perish in Fire at Dublin Convent
A pre-dawn fire raced through a convent building in central Dublin today, killing six Roman Catholic nuns who found themselves trapped after being awakened by a “blazing inferno,” a witness said. Fifteen nuns escaped unharmed.
The victims, ranging in age from 60 to 83, were asleep in a dormitory on the top floor of the four-story Loreto Secondary School when the fire broke out, said Sister Patricia Murray, a senior staff nun.
“It all happened very quickly, and the building was well-alight before most of the sisters were awakened,” Sister Patricia said. “Most of them woke up to the sound of breaking glass. In a few minutes the building had collapsed.”
Three nuns escaped from the dormitory, she said, adding that “when they looked back it was a blazing inferno.” Twelve nuns escaped unharmed from a dormitory in an adjoining building. Classrooms in that building were slightly damaged.
The convent overlooks St. Stephen’s Green, a fashionable Dublin square surrounded by several government ministries and one of the city’s top hotels, the Shelbourne.
The cause of the blaze was not known.
The nuns belonged to the Loreto Order. Their school, a 153-year-old institution, has 650 day students.
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