The body of Christopher ‘Crunchie’ Holt, aged in his sixties, was found after a blaze at the house in the early hours of Tuesday.

Gardaí said they were investigating “all the circumstances” of the fire at Castleview Park in Edenderry.

While gardaí do not believe the remains belong to anyone else, formal identification is yet to be concluded.

However, family members and friends of Mr Holt paid tribute to him.

It is understood gardaí believe Mr Holt died in a tragic incident and that the fire may have been accidental.

Although the house had been boarded up since December’s fire, it is understood Mr Holt was living in the kitchen as the rest of the home was uninhabitable.

In a post online, his niece, Jessie Judge, shared a heartfelt tribute to her uncle. Alongside a series of images of Mr Holt, she wrote: “Fly high with the angels. You will be missed so much. A heart of gold. I’ll miss you giving out to me. I can’t believe it. A gentleman. I love you uncle.”

Tadgh Farrell and Mary Holt

Local councillor Fergus McDonnell, who lives in the Castleview Park estate, paid tribute to the deceased man saying: “He was a harmless individual.

“I would have met him most days of the week.”

Neighbours described being woken by the sound and sight of the fire.

“One of the neighbours, two doors down, was the first to make it out onto the road and the house was well ablaze at the stage,” said one.

“The Holts’ next door neighbour would have health issues so they went in and helped her dress and got her out as well.

“Initially, it wasn’t believed anyone was in the house but the body was discovered in an upstairs bedroom after the fire was brought under control.

“The body was covered in debris because the roof had fallen in,” they added.

Offaly Sinn Féin Cllr Claire Murray said: “To have such a tragedy happen once in a community is devastating — to have it occur a second time in just a few months is truly shocking for the family and for all of the residents in Castleview Park.”

Independent TD Carol Nolan said “there is an air of unreality and deep pain within Offaly”.

“This is profoundly shocking news to everyone waking up this morning and hearing about this incident.”

Local councillor Noel Cribbin said: “It’s a tragic time for the family and the town. It took a long time for the town to heal from the last incident and this has brought everything back up again.”

Cllr Fergus McDonnell said: “It’s horrendous news, I don’t know if there are any similar incidents like this in the country. To have such similar incident happen so close together with the same tragic consequences is just tragic.”

Fine Gael TD for Offaly John Clendennen also expressed his shock and sadness on hearing about the tragic fatality saying: “I have in the past and I would again call for an increased garda presence in Edenderry.

“The community deserves the reassurance that comes with a visible presence.”

No one has been charged over the murders of Tadgh and his grand-aunt in December.

The little boy was visiting his grandmother and grandaunt when the arson attack occurred shortly before 7.45pm on December 6.

Gardaí believe the attack was carried out by people involved in drug dealing in the midlands and was intended to target a man who previously lived at the property.

While there have been a number of arrests as part of a wider investigation, there has only been one direct arrest over the double murder.

A man in his 20s was arrested in January on suspicion of murder and later released without charge.

A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.