John Steele tragedy: Fund to aid bonfire-builder’s family smashes through target on its way towards £7,000

Mr Steele, a 36-year-old father of two, apparently fell to his death from a pyre in Antiville, on the south-western edge of Larne on Saturday night.

The pyre (since dismantled) has widely been described as being about 50ft tall, but it is not clear what height Mr Steele – a window cleaner by trade – was at when he fell.

A JustGiving webpage was set up on Sunday with the aim of garnering cash to help his family pay for the funeral.

The objective was to raise £5,500 but as of 6pm on Monday it had amassed about £6,500, with the figure still climbing.

The fundraiser was put up by a woman called Gillian Hyslop, who wrote: “The whole town is shook at this devastating news and our hearts go out to Artie, Jackie, Kitty, his two daughters Caitlin and Macy-Lee, Catrina and the whole family circle. You will be sorely missed John.”

At 6pm tonight, some 290 donations had been received, ranging from a couple of pounds to £100 from some individuals.

A memorial gathering was held at the site of the tragedy on Sunday night.

Craigyhill Presbyterian cleric Ben Preston had been on the scene after the accident.

He said today: “It seems a blur, the whole weekend. No planning or preparation at Union Theological College can give you a manual for how you go through something like this.

“Up you go, and you pray with the bonfire builders. We read the 23rd Psalm. I saw young John lying there, the ambulance and fire service and police all gathered round.

“I got the bonfire builders to point me in the direction of John’s parents, [so I could] go and minister and offer prayer with them.”

Speaking of the memorial vigil, he added: “I saw a great togetherness from the community last night, and we’re ging to need that in the days ahead.”

Meanwhile Sammy Wilson, the DUP MP for East Antrim, told the BBC: “What I do hope is his death will not be used as some kind of politicial opportunity for those who quite honestly want to stamp out an awful lot of unionist culture in Northern Ireland, and especially around bonfires.

“This is an issue which there’s a huge amount of debate amongst even within the loyalist community. Most people are supportive of bonfires. Some would like to see their size regulated.”

But he added: “Let’s face it. On any site, doesn’t matter if it’s a big bonfire or a small bonfire. Accidents can always happen. We can’t regulate accidents away.”

A sister of Mr Steele told the News Letter tonight that the family are not in a position to speak right now.

In the run-up to the Eleventh Night in 2021, a teenager bonfire-builder in Cookstown was reportedly airlifted to hospital after falling off a pyre being constructed in the Monrush area of the town.

Also last year, a boy aged 17 caught fire while attending an Eleventh Night bonfire in Silverstream Crescent, Ballysillan, north Belfast, leaving him with burns to his face and body.

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