Rampage of fire
A MASKED firestarter went on the rampage in Craigavon on Sunday morning.
The arsonist, who covered his face with a Halloween mask, destroyed four cars in Aldervale, Drumglass and Meadowbrook in the early hours of the morning. A dog lost its life as a result of one of the fires.
At Aldervale flats John Gallagher, chairman of the residents association, awoke to find his beloved Mercedes burnt out. The blaze resulted in two flats being badly damaged.
Mr Gallagher said: “A neighbour (Gary Turkington) woke me up at about four to tell me there was a fire. I thought he was having me on. I came out and the blue lights were flashing.”
He added: “I loved that car. They’ve destroyed two flats and ruined another five or six. I don’t know what the point is.”
Several residents had to be evacuated during the blaze though no one was hurt.
At Drumglass one eyewitness told how he’d observed a hooded figure acting suspiciously shortly after 4am.
“He ran up and down the road a couple of times, then he ducked down behind my hedge and pulled on this lime green Halloween mask,” said the man.
“I think by that stage he’d already done the house at the end. That was attempted murder.".
The fire at the house in question, which is linked to Aldervale by a path, resulted in the death of a family pet.
A car in the driveway was set alight causing damage to a nearby garden fence and garage. The three female occupants of the house escaped without injury, however, the family’s dog died as a result of the fire.
The eyewitness, who was able to give police a description of the arsonist, explained how he and his wife began phoning round his friends in Drumglass when he saw the masked man with a bottle of light blue liquid.
He said: “My wife was on the phone to one of the neighbours telling her not to open the door just as he was banging on it.”
The masked man left her house eventually and went further up the road where he set fire to another car - a Hyundai.
The Drumglass man described the firestarter: “I’d say he was about 17 or 18. He was tall and thin. I couldn’t see his face. His hood was always up even when he didn’t have the mask on.”
The man said there are too many entrances to Drumglass. “Some of them need to be closed off,” he suggested.
“There’s an easy way in and an easy way out. That’s how things like this happen.”
The arsonist finished off his rampage by setting fire to a Peugeot in Meadowbrook.
Police are still working to establish a motive. None of the victims seem to be connected in any way and the attacks appear to be random at this stage.
They are treating the incidents as arson and a number of items have been removed for further forensic examination.
Anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity or has any information about any of these incidents is asked to contact detectives at Lurgan on 0845 600 8000. Anonymous information can also be passed to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
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
