One week after moving in woman flees from flames

One week after moving in woman flees from flames

11 November 2015

A WOMAN who moved into a flat Bracken Avenue last week said she hopes whoever was responsible for the arson attack will be apprehended.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she was terrified when she woke to discover the oil tanks at the rear of her home ablaze just after 3am on Monday.

“I was lying in bed and could see the flames outside my window. The oil tanks are located at the rear of my flat so I grabbed my dog and ran outside. I had no time to take anything else with me,” she explained.

“When I opened the door of my flat there was black smoke everywhere. I was terrified and have never been so scared in all my life. I only moved into this area a week ago today.”

The woman said a lot of her possessions and clothes have been ruined by either smoke or water and hopes whoever started the fire will be caught.

She added: “I really hope they catch whoever is responsible for this. How would they like to be in their bed and wake up to discover huge flames outside their bedroom window?”

Another resident, Dominic Mitchell, told reporters at the scene that he awoke to discover a commotion outside the flats complex.

“I looked up and saw flames engulfing part of the roof. It was more or less a big ball of flames and very frightening,” he said.

Mr Mitchell said he would normally have his children staying with him a few days a week and was thankful they were not with him on Monday.

“If they had been staying over it would have been pretty frightening for them to have to get up so early in the morning and stand out in the freezing cold and watch the flames take over the block of flats,” he added.

Another resident, who was also reluctant to be identified, said his main priority was to secure entry to his flat which was not damaged by the fire, but sustained water damage.

“We need to get access to our flats to get some clothes as we are all freezing,” he said. “We also need to speak with the Housing Executive to see what happens now.”

An Executive spokeswoman said 11 flats were affected by the fire and the tenants were all taken to Clare Lodge in Newcastle which is run by St Vincent de Paul. She said Executive officials are working with tenants regarding their accommodation options.

She said contractors were permitted access to the damaged flats on Monday and secured the properties, confirming a full inspection of the 11 properties will be carried out shortly.

“Our initial inspection indicates four of the flats could be habitable in the near future. However, we are not yet in a position to give a timeline for the refurbishment of the properties. We remain in close contact with our tenants to ensure their accommodation needs are met in the interim,” the spokeswoman added.

“If anyone has any information about this incident we would urge them to contact the PSNI on 101.”