Limerick council house 'gutted' by arson
A COUNCIL property being renovated for new tenants in County Limerick has been gutted in an arson attack in the midst of a housing crisis, the Limerick Leader has learned.
The detached bungalow, located on the main N21 road between Newcastle West and Rathkeale, was set alight under the cover of darkness. Approximately €45,000 had been spent to date on refurbishing the property.
A garda spokesperson confirmed that gardaí attended the scene of criminal damage by fire at a location at Reens Pike, Ardagh, Limerick in the early hours of Monday morning, August 28.
“No persons were present at the house at the time and investigations are ongoing,” said a garda spokesperson.
Limerick Fire and Rescue Service were at the scene within minutes following a report made at 3.25am on the morning in question.
Two appliances from Newcastle West and one from Rathkeale fought the blaze for over four hours, only returning to their respective bases around 8am.
A Limerick City and County Council spokesperson confirmed that a property, which formed part of its housing stock, was gutted by fire.
“The incident is now the subject of a full criminal investigation by An Garda Siochana,” said the spokesperson.
The property came back into council stock in June and the refurbishment programme - €45,000 spent to date - was due to be completed later this month.
The council spokesperson said a family had been identified for the house. Engineering reports are to be prepared to decide on whether the home can be saved or not.
There are currently 2,519 households on the waiting list for accommodation. This excludes those which are in receipt of HAP and those in RAS contracts.
According to one local source, the arson attack was “professionally done” and an accelerant used.
“The talk is that the fire was started in the attic and they opened all the windows so they knew what they were doing,” said the local. It is not known why this property was targeted.
Anybody who may have been driving on the N21 between Newcastle West and Rathkeale in the early hours of Monday, August 28 and who may have witnessed persons acting - or a car being driven - in a suspicious manner are asked to contact gardai to assist them in their investigation.