Fire leaves 13 homeless in Derry

Thirteen people were left homeless today after three homes were destroyed in an arson attack in Derry.

The residents, including eight children, were asleep when the fire was started, but they managed to escape without serious injuries.

Police said a quad bike and a scrambler were set on fire beside an oil tank at the back of one of the homes in Galliagh Park in the Shantallow area at around 4am.

The fire spread to the adjoining houses, and three were gutted.

The alarm was raised by a resident of a separate house in the park who awoke the residents of one of the houses, allowing them to escape.

A police spokeswoman said two men who were spotted running from the scene made off in a dark-coloured car.

Officers investigating the arson attack have condemned it as an “horrendous incident that could have resulted in serious injury or even death”.

Fire Brigade Divisional Officer William Lynch said the residents of the homes could have been killed.

“It really is a game of Russian roulette,” he said.

“The person or people that did this had no consideration at all for the safety of people in that row of houses.

“It really could have taken out much more houses and it really could have caused the deaths of innocent people.”