The North Louth community have rallied together to help out the Walker family from Omeath following a house fire in their family home last Thursday morning.
Packy and Amanada Walker and their children Sophie, Sarah and Shannon (Twins) and Patrick were left devastated when their family home of sixteen years in Omeath was burned to the ground in a devastating fire. Sixteen year old Patrick who was on his mid-term break from school was the only person home at the time and it was he who raised the alarm after he was awoken on Thursday morning following a ferocious bang heard from the attic area of the house.
The hot-press which was upstairs in the house is suspected to be the cause of the fire which very quickly ripped through the house which is located in Ballinteskin in Omeath. Fire crews from both Dundalk and Carlingford arrived at the scene shortly after the alarm was raised by Patrick but unfortunately the house was gutted already as the fire-fighters spent several hours putting out the flames.
Thankfully nobody was hurt in the fire but unfortunately for the Walkers their house insurance had lapsed just before Christmas and had not been renewed. Upon hearing the devastating news that the Walkers had lost everything in the fire the local community sprung into action to help their popular neighbours with a GoFundMe Page set up by Keisha Sheelan raising just over €40,000 since launching on Friday afternoon. The Four Seasons Hotel where twins Sarah and Shannon Walker work have also got behind the family by organising a benefit evening filled with music, dance and celebration, inviting the community to come together and support the Walker family.
According to Amanda Walker’s sister, Denise McCrum, the family have been left devastated following the loss of their home.
“It’s just horrendous for them. The only positive thing is that nobody was hurt in the fire. Packy and Amanda were away at work while the twins (Shannon and Sarah both 20) are studying in Athone and Sophie (25) is currently away in Australia. Patrick (16) was the only one at home and it was he who raised the alarm about 11am when he heard an almighty bang from the attic. The fire fighters came as quickly as they could but unfortunately the house has been destroyed. All that is left is the concrete walls.
Packie is an electrician and he would be very well known locally and has helped out people at all hours of the night down through the years when they encountered issues with their electricity. They would be very well liked family locally and that has been shown by the incredible response to the GoFundMe Page which was set up on Friday afternoon and has already surpassed €40,000. The whole family have been so humbled by the response and they want to thank everybody for their help. The Four Seasons Hotel in Carlingford have also been fantastic.
“The twins work there and the hotel put the whole family up on the Thursday and Friday night. They are also organising a big benefit concert for the family on the 27th of April with all proceeds going towards helping to rebuild the house,” explained Denise. “There will be music and food and tickets are on sale for what will hopefully be a very successful night. Amanda and Packie have air B+B pods beside their house which they are currently living in but they are completely devastated after losing everything they own in the fire.
“Unfortunately their house insurance had lapsed in December and they hadn’t got around to renewing it. They have a lot of work ahead of them now to rebuild their home but thankfully they live in a wonderful community and with their help they will be able to rebuild their lives over the months ahead,” stated Denise.
Tickets for the benefit night which is being organised to support the Walker family on Sunday April 27 at 6pm in the Four Seasons Hotel, Carlingford are available via www.eventbrite.ie. The concert will include food and music by local acts including One for the Road and The Ramblin’ Strings Band.
The GoFundMe Page can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-walker-family-fire-recovery
