Arsonists are '˜using up valuable resources'

Sinn Fein Councillor Patricia Logue spoke out aftercrews were tasked to deal with a vehicle seton fire in the Bogside area on Sunday evening, just minutes before another call came in about a house fire incident in the city.

One of the fire & rescue appliance at Dove Gardens had come from the scene of an accidental fire at a house at Drumard Park in Ballymagroarty which, luckily, was extinguished by the time fire-fighters arrived.

The NI Fire & Rescue Service confirmed that two fire appliances from Crescent Link and Northland Road attended the fire at Dove Gardens after a call was received at 7.54pm on Sunday. A spokesperson said: “Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire was deliberate. The incident was dealt with at 8.48 p.m.”

A second emergency call out was received at 8.03p.m. The spokesperson said: “Firefighters were called to a grill fire in a mid-terrace property. The fire was out on arrival. No fire-fighting was required. The cause of the incident was determined as accidental. The incident was dealt with at 8.15 p.m.”

Colr. Logue said: “Once again are witnessing valuable resources having to be deployed to put deliberate fires, and once again the people are left with the cost of this.

“It is a sad indictment of modern society that this was one of a number of vehicles burned in the city at the weekend. Such activity goes against all the hard work that is going on in the local area night and day to help make it a good place to live.”

Colr. Logue added that those responsible for setting fire to vehicles, especially in amid local housing estates, had no regard for the risks they were posing to the lives and health of residents andto the fire fighters who are tasked to deal with the aftermath of their actions.