Cinema forced to close due to arson attack

GARDAÍ launched two major investigations yesterday after a spate of arson attacks in Cork city at the weekend.

One of the deliberate blazes has forced a cinema to close for a week.

Gardaí are investigating a suspected arson attack which destroyed nearly €5,000 worth of soccer equipment at Wilton United’s home ground, situated on the Lee Road, on Friday night.

A container with training equipment including goalposts, nets and football gear was destroyed in the fire, which was reported at about 6.30pm on Friday night.

And in the city, gardaí have set up an incident room to investigate eight arson attacks on Saturday morning.

The most serious of these has forced the closure of the Gate Cinema for at least a week.

The city centre fires were reported between 3.45am and 5.20am on Saturday morning in an area from North Main Street to Blarney Street.

Gardaí believe they were all started deliberately and may be linked.

Vandals set fire to wheelie bins full of rubbish at the rear of the cinema on North Gate Bridge at 4.11am on Saturday.

Air conditioning units mounted on a wall close to the bins sucked the smoke into the building, causing extensive damage to several screening rooms.

Cinema staff were busy yesterday cleaning up the extensive damage, estimated at several thousand euro.

The cinema will remain closed until the end of the week at least until the air conditioning units are replaced.

Garda technical experts examined the scene yesterday as investigations into this, and the other fires, got under way.

The first fire was reported at an apartment block at 98 North Main Street at 3.45am, when a wheelie bin full of rubbish resting against an apartment block was set ablaze.

An alert resident managed to push the blazing bin away from the building before it took hold.

Superintendent Michael Finn said apartment dwellers were very lucky the fire didn’t affect the building.

The next fire was reported at the Gate Cinema at 4.11am.

Another fire was reported at Grenville Place, close to the Mercy University Hospital, at 4.27am.

A fourth fire was reported across the river Lee at 30 Blarney Street at 4.48am.

A fifth fire was reported at Wises Cottages off Blarney Street at 4.57am.

A sixth fire was reported at Boyces Street at 5.09am, while a seventh fire was reported nearby at 5.17am, and the eighth fire was reported at Barrett’s Buildings at 5.28am.

Some of the fires were set in wheelie bins, while others were set in mounds of rubbish on the footpath awaiting collection.

An incident room has been set up at the Bridewell Garda Station and detectives were examining city centre CCTV footage in an effort to trace the culprits.

Supt Finn appealed for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the city centre between 3.45am and 5.30am to contact gardaí at the Bridewell on [phone].