Anger as blaze leaves residents without power
The damage to the bin store at the Gartan Square maisonettes. (1202MM08)
Residents of flats in Gartan Square in the Bogside area were left without electricity yesterday following a suspected arson attack at the weekend on a building used to store bins.
The blaze was discovered in the early hours of Saturday morning by one resident, a mother of two, who then alerted her neighbours.
The fire destroyed the bin store and cut the electricity supply to four flats in the building.
The resident who discovered the fire said she was shocked and angered by the incident.
“I am really angry that someone would do this. Setting fire to the bins put the lives of my neighbours and children at risk.
“Even worse, this isn’t the first time this has happened but it needs to be the last,” she said
Colm Barton, of the Triax Neighbourhood Management Team, condemned the incident. “This was a disgraceful act and has caused enormous distress to residents. People are without electricity, food has been ruined and lives have been disrupted. What is even worse is that this has happened before.
“I have been in touch with the Housing Executive and left them in no doubt as to the feelings of the residents and the need to get this issue sorted once and for all. There has to be a long term solution to this problem that will put an end to this carry on and provide the residents with the security they are entitled to,” he said.
Sinn Féin councillor Colly Kelly said; “This is not the first time there has been a fire at these flats. There have been several incidents there in the past number of years. Sinn Féin have raised concerns about how dangerous this could be for residents who live on the top floor of the complex.”
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Weather for Derry
Monday 20 May 2013
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