Man suffers burn and pet dog killed in house arson attack

A man suffered a serious burn and a pet dog died after a petrol bomb attack on a house in Co Down.

Detectives are appealing for information about the incident at a property in Newry in the early hours of Wednesday, which led to three other people being treated for smoke inhalation.

It was reported around 2.20am that a suspected petrol bomb had been thrown through the living room window of a house in Clonmore, in the Armagh Road area of the city.

Police attended, along with officers from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service – who extinguished the fire.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “In the living room at the time was a man in his 50s who sustained a serious burn injury.

“Three people, including a teenager, were upstairs at the time and were able to make their way out of the burning property.

“However, the family’s pet dog died in the house fire.

“The man remains in hospital at this time and the other three occupants have been treated for smoke inhalation.”

The spokesperson added: “This was a very serious incident when a property was deliberately set on fire with clear intent to risk life and destroy someone’s home.

“A neighbouring home was also smoke damaged as a result of this attack which we are investigating as arson with intent to endanger life.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and we would appeal to anyone who saw anything or who has any information, including dash-cam, CCTV or other footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 93 14/01/26.”

SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said it was a “shocking incident”.

He said: “This situation could have been even worse, with a number of people upstairs in the property at the time of the attack who had to fight their way to safety.

“A neighbouring property was also damaged. This must have been terribly frightening for neighbours and nobody should be subjected to this.

“This is an attack that could have resulted in innocent fatalities.

“Nobody expects something like this to happen on their doorsteps and this was clearly a violent attack with an intent to cause real harm.

“I would appeal for anyone with any information about this to come forward to police. Those responsible for such a reckless attack must be held accountable for their actions.”