A man, a woman and two children have died, and two other children are critically injured in hospital following a fire in Waterford City shortly after 5am on Tuesday, police in Ireland said.

Emergency crews were called to the property in the Birchwood area of the city shortly after 5am on Tuesday morning.

In a statement, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said officers were examining the circumstances surrounding the fatal blaze, adding: “An Garda Síochána can confirm two adults, one man and one woman, and two children are deceased.

“Two other children have been removed from the scene and are receiving hospital treatment for critical injuries.”

An incident room has been established at Waterford Garda Station, where a senior investigating officer and family liaison officers have been assigned to the case.

Gardaí have issued an appeal for anyone who was near Birch Avenue in Birchwood during the early hours of Tuesday 13 October to get in touch. Information can be passed to Waterford Garda Station on 051 305300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.

‘tragic loss of lives’

Tributes have been paid by Minister of State John Cummins and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Mr Martin described the tragedy as a “deeply disturbing situation” as details surrounding the incident continue to unfold.

Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting in Dublin, he said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with anybody who has lost their lives and all who are affected.

“We thank the first responders who are at the scene.

“We say to everyone to give space to the first responders, to the gardaí to deal with what clearly is a very worrying and deeply disturbing situation.”

“Waterford has been plunged into utter devastation and sadness this morning with the tragic loss of lives overnight in Birchwood,” Cummins said.

“My deepest sympathies go to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives, their friends, neighbours and the wider community.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the emergency services personnel who have been attending what can only be described as a horrific scene.”

The Waterford minister called for gardaí to be given time and space to carry out their investigations.

He added: “I know that in the difficult days and weeks ahead, the community will rally around those affected, offering strength, compassion and support in whatever way we can.

“At times of unimaginable sadness, it is the kindness and solidarity of a close-knit community that can provide some comfort to those who need it most.

“This is a devastating loss and as a county we stand together in grief and solidarity at this difficult time.”

‘Devastated and heartbroken’

Mayor of Waterford Liam Brazil and the mayor of Waterford Metropolitan District Lola O’Sullivan have also issued a joint statement expressing heartbreak at the loss of lives in the fire.

“We are devastated and heartbroken by the tragedy that unfolded in Birch Avenue this morning,” they said.

“Our sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of those who lost their lives so tragically in the fatal house fire.

“No one is untouched by this event, and we would appeal to neighbours, friends and the wider community to be there for each other during this harrowing time.

“Our thoughts are also with the emergency services and first responders who attended the deeply disturbing scene.

“We would encourage anyone who has been affected to visit the Community Support Hub in St John’s Park.

“Professional services, refreshments, and facilities are available to all.”

Bishop Alphonsus Cullinane of Waterford and Lismore expressed his “profound shock and sorrow”.

“Our hearts go out to the families who suffered such unimaginable loss. We stand in solidarity with all those whose lives have been devastated by this tragedy,” he said in a statement.

In a statement, Waterford Fire Service said it was alerted to a house fire at Birchwood Avenue at 5.13am on Tuesday.

It said: “A number of units from surrounding stations attended and on arrival found a well-developed fire.

“Firefighting operations commenced immediately, and a number of casualties were removed from the two-storey house.

“The fire was extinguished and the scene handed over to An Garda Síochána.

“Waterford City and County Council has commissioned the Butler Community Centre in St John’s Park in Waterford city (X91 FEP4) as a Support Hub.

“Professional supports, refreshments, and facilities are available for those who have been affected by the fire in the Birchwood area.”

‘We will be here for you’

Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane said: “This is very raw for everybody involved.”

“My heart is broken.

“I can only imagine what this will be for family members, for the wider family who live right across the road, for the city and county, and for people who live in the housing estate to be dealing with this level of grief and trauma.

“It’s just unimaginable, and all we can do at this point in time is to stand in solidarity with the community to support the wider family and this community as much as we can.

“And we’re seeing that happen already.

“My message for this community is that we will be here for you.

“That we understand that this is an unimaginable tragedy, and people may well need to be supported and I’m very clear that that will be put in place.”

Councillor Jason Murphy, who lives close to the scene of the fire, said there was a sense of “devastation” in the community.

“I’m just numb, like everyone else around here,” the Fianna Fáil councillor told the Press Association.

“I think there’s an eerie quiet around here. This estate would usually be a busy estate. You’d probably see kids up here playing on the green here, but there’s nothing happening here this morning – only people looking into space trying to, I suppose, make sense of what happened here late last night and early this morning.”

Murphy said local people who witnessed the fire would require professional support and counselling.

“The sounds and what they heard this morning and what they seen, it’ll take a lot of recovering, and they’ll need a lot of support,” he said.

“It’s coming now from the community, and that’ll be ongoing. But they’ll need professional support as well. And I was glad to see that the Taoiseach came out this morning, Micheál Martin said the community will get whatever supports it needs.”

‘Day of immense sadness’

Father Gerard Chestnutt, who is parish priest at Sacred Heart Church at The Folly in Waterford, said it was a “day of immense sadness”.

“People are devastated, in particular here in the Birchwood estate, because the family are well known,” he told reporters at the scene of the fire.

“The community is well established, it’s a very tight knit community. As you can see, there’s many people out on the street here, and they’re all absolutely heartbroken.

“But it goes beyond here as well. The wider community is absolutely devastated. Our school communities, the primary schools are absolutely heartbroken, both the staff and students.

“And I would know the family very well. It’s a day of immense sadness for this entire community.”

“There’s no words even that people can find to try to grasp or try to understand what’s happened,” he added.