Forced out by arsonists
ARSONISTS have forced seven families out of their homes in Pinebank, including one young couple and their 13-week-old baby.
The vandals set fire to a pile of rubbish to the rear of a house in the Craigavon estate at around 3.30am last Wednesday. An oil tank caught fire and the blaze quickly spread along the row of seven houses.
Three of the properties were substantially damaged and the other four sustained smoke and water damage.
Arsonists struck again in Pinebank the following morning at 3am, breaking into a carport and setting light to a car just metres away from the row of burnt out private rental houses.
The ‘MAIL’ spoke with some of the victims on Thursday.
Young mother Leanne Mossey, who lives in Pinebank with her partner and baby daughter, said: “The woman in the first house in the next row got up to give medicine to her daughter and she saw the fire. If it wasn’t for her we’d all have been dead. We were all fast asleep.”
Leanne, who has a 13-week-old baby girl, continued: “Our house isn’t all that badly damaged but I’m moving out. I’m not staying here. I’m too traumatised. I wouldn’t keep my baby here with this going on.”
She added: “My partner said he would move out too for the safety of our child. We’re going to look at other houses today.”
Another of the residents said: “I’ve only been renting here for two months. Everyone who’s living in this row will have to move out. The houses are all condemned because of the roof damage. I’ve been lucky enough to get another rented place.”
He added: “I can’t see there being any motivation behind this. It’s a mixed religion estate and the targets have been pretty random.”
Annette McCrory told the ‘MAIL’ how her garage had been broken into and her car set alight the morning after the houses were burned.
“Why climb over a fence to set fire to a car when there’s cars sitting out?” she asked.
She continued: “They poured something over the top of it - maybe petrol - and shoved paper from the recycling bin into the wheel arches. Then they set it on fire at the back.”
Mrs McCrory said there had been no trouble in the estate for three or four years.
“Back then there were arsonists running about, but I thought that was all over,” she said.
Her daughter lives in one of the row of houses that got set on fire the night before, however, she didn’t think it was a vendetta against the family.
“This is meant to be a neighbourhood watch area,” added one of Mrs McCrory’s daughters. “I haven’t seen the police here since it was reported.”
“We’re lucky we weren’t dead in our beds,” said Mrs McCrory. “They’re not going to stop until someone gets killed. I won’t be moving out. I’ll just not be sleeping as heavily.”
Police are keen to speak to anyone who may have been in the Pinebank area at the time of the incidents and who may have noticed something unusual.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact CID on 0845 600 8000, or information can be passed anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
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Weather for Lurgan
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
