Mother and two children have narrow escape in arson

A mother and her two children had a narrow escape in Victoria Street, Lurgan, after a fire was started deliberately in the early hours of this morning (Friday).
The scene in Victoria Street.The scene in Victoria Street.
The scene in Victoria Street.

The blaze was in an alleyway between houses, one of them occupied by the woman and her children.

A photo taken by police shows damage to part of the building under a child’s bedroom, including scorch marks.

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Police praised the Fire Brigade for their swift response, saying “the whole row of houses could have gone up” if they hadn’t got there as quickly as they did.

They added, “Neighbours looked out for each other and woke pretty much the whole street to make sure everyone was safe. Our NI Fire and Rescue Service colleagues did an epic job making sure it didn’t spread further. Without doubt we would be talking about serious injuries or worse if it weren’t for the actions of these folk.”

Police say they are very keen to speak to a male described as wearing blue jeans and a dark jacket, possibly holding a carry-out, in the area of William Street and Victoria Street around 5am this morning.

Anyone who saw or heard anything, including anyone smelling of smoke, should call 101, quoting incident number 164 of 06/05/16. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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