Two men arrested for house fire deaths in Kerry 10 years ago

Gardaí have announced the arrests of two men in connection with the deaths of a father and daughter in a house fire, that occured ten years ago.

On May 12, 2012, a fire broke out in a two-storey semi-detached house in Killeen Heights in Tralee, Co. Kerry. 

Three people were in the house at the time of the blaze – 30-year-old Anthony O’Brien, his wife Kelly, and their five-year-old daughter Nadine. 

Kelly managed to escape from the family home by jumping from a window upstairs, which resulted in a broken leg.

Tragically, due to the intensity of the blaze, rescuers were unable to save Anthony and Nadine from the fire. Their bodies were subsequently recovered from the scene. 

Following findings from the house fire, Gardaí declared a criminal investigation. Despite a thorough investigation, the O’Brien family had to wait nine years for any arrests to be made.

After new information came to light, a man in his 30s was arrested in June 2021 for questioning. However, he was subsequently released without charge.

Earlier today, two more men were arrested by Gardaí in connection with the fire. Both men are aged in their 40s, and they were both arrested at addresses in Co. Kerry.

The men can be detained for up to 24 hours, at which stage they will then either have to be charged or released.