Man killed in house fire

The Mayor of Limavady, Cathal McLaughlin, is from Magilligan and knew Mr Fleming. The local councillor said that “everyone knew him, he was a friendly man and he spoke to everyone.” The alarm was raised in the Drumavalley area at around 10pm on Monday, January 21. Police enquiries are ongoing.

Speaking to the Sentinel, Limavady’s Mayor spoke about the profound shock and devastation wreaked on the local community: “I was out with them last night. I went out there last night and I was with the family again this morning.

“The whole community here is still in pieces. It’s basically unheard of in a small place like Magilligan. You read and see these things in the newspapers but it is not until it is on your doorstep that it really sinks in and you see what people are going through and just how terrible it is.

“The family are in a bad position. They are in a bad state. He lived in Magilligan and I knew him. Magilligan is the sort of place where everybody knows you.

“Everybody knew him, he spoke to everyone. He was a very friendly man. I knew that about him before, that he was a very nice man, but when I spoke to the family I realised just how nice of a man he was.

“I heard a few stories about him – he had his nieces and nephews spoilt rotten. I was listening to his neighbours and they were saying the same thing. They have a couple of wee children and he was over to them with Christmas cards for them. He was a genuinely nice man.

“It is a real tragedy. It definitely is. I still can’t get my head around it. My heart goes out to the family. God only knows what they are going through.

“They are devastated. The one thing I will say is that the people in this area, this community, will rally round them in their time of grief.”