Woman escapes blaze after arson attack on Derry home

Police have confirmed that a woman managed to escape after the house she was in was deliberately set alight in Derry’s Waterside area.
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Detectives from Strand Road investigating the incident at a house in Bann Drive in the Irish Street area have confirmed they are treating it as arson.

PSNI Detective Sergeant Ballentine said: "A woman was inside the house at the time of the blaze, which was reported at around 1.25am on Tuesday morning, October 4. Fortunately, the woman managed to get out of the house and to safety, uninjured.

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"Just how the fire started remains under examination, however, at this time we are treating this as arson.”

PSNIPSNI
PSNI

Detectives have urged anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area of the time of the arson attack to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Ballentine said: “As we continue with enquiries to establish what happened and a motive, we're appealing to anyone with information, or who saw anything suspicious in the area between 1am and 1.25am to call us.

"This incident could have resulted in serious consequences had it not been for emergency services being contacted so quickly, and we want to take this opportunity to thank the public for their help."

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The PSNI have advised anyone with information about the incident at Bann Drive that the number to call is 101, quoting reference number 81 of 04/10/22.

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PSNI

A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

“You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/”, a PSNI spokesperson advised.