A male in his 20s was arrested, questioned and released without charge following a serious blaze which damaged residential properties at St Mary’s Place in Athlone on Thursday night last.
Two units of the fire brigade and members of the gardai were in attendance at the prolonged fire which engulfed the two properties.
Speaking to the Athlone Advertiser following the incident, Sergeant Andrew Haran confirmed that a male in his 20s had been arrested and questioned in relation to the fire but has since been released without charge.
“Two units of the fire brigade and members of the gardai were in attendance at the fire which affected properties in St Mary’s Place, one of which resulted in the evacuation of a family from their home. Thankfully, there were no injuries at the scene but the properties have been extensively damaged. A file is presently being prepared for the DPP in relation to the incident,” Sergeant Haran stated.
Addressing the incident, Town Mayor, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, confirmed that he visited the scene of the fire with Garda Superintendent, David Nolan, on Friday morning, and impressed upon him the urgent need for a swift response to the incident.
“On Friday morning last, in the company of Garda Superintendent, David Nolan, I visited the scene of the fire in St Mary’s Place to view the extent of the damage to the properties.
“This blaze was a terrifying experience for all the local people looking on as yet again vandals deliberately set fire to these privately owned houses.
“It is awful to think that the owners of these properties, for many years now, opted to allow these town centre houses fall into utter disrepair while at the same time we are in the midst of a housing crisis.
“I cannot understand why they would not refurbish and lease these properties to tenants when there are so many families desperately looking for a home.
“Following my visit to the site with the Garda Superintendent on Friday morning, I pressed upon him the need for a swift and decisive response to this situation, once and for all.
“I also arranged to meet the Council engineering staff at the scene to survey the situation and I am pleased to have secured agreement from local authority management that robust steel shuttering will be erected this week.
“Exterior fencing which I have been seeking has also been erected to the front of the properties. There will be a significant cost to this shuttering and fencing, but I am adamant that the property owners will foot this bill - after all these properties are their responsibility.
“I have also reached agreement with Council management in recent days ensuring our local authority will now immediately push ahead with a CPO process for these properties.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Athlone Fire Brigade crews for their great work on Thursday night. They conducted an incredible job in minimising the damage and risk to other properties and again, the cost of that call-out must be borne by the property owners.
“The residents in this location have endured a lot over the past number of years. However, I do believe that given the seriousness of the events of last week, we are now a lot closer to a solution than we ever were, and I will keep working to find and deliver that solution with all concerned,” the Town Mayor stated.
Echoing similar sentiments, Cllr Frankie Keena condemned the “mindless acts of vandalism” which, he noted, are a source of “stress and annoyance” to the residents of St Mary’s Place.
“The ongoing anti social behaviour which has been taken place at a house in St Mary’s Place came to a head on Thursday night last with this serious blaze. This much sought after area in the centre of town is being destroyed by the mindless acts of vandalism by a certain few.
“When I arrived at the scene, I witnessed personnel from our fire services putting their lives at risk in an effort to extinguish the blaze and I would like to commend them for their bravery and work in containing the fire.
“The stress and annoyance caused to local residents is unacceptable. Why should they have to put up with these acts of criminality and anti-social behaviour?
“These concerns were raised in the past, discussed in the Council chambers and subsequently, the local authority have included these private houses within the boundary of the Loughinaskin Urban Regeneration Development Site.
“I am aware that the gardai were frequent visitors to this house. The Council has now temporarily secured the houses after the fire, but these owners need to bear responsibility for not looking after their properties and I do hope that any work done by the statutory bodies is charged in full to them.
“This is a major issue that needs immediate action. I honestly feel that these condemned properties need to be demolished. This is an issue for which I will be seeking such an action with the local authority in the coming times,” Cllr Keena concluded.
