Ballymena arson attack 'sectarian'

An arson attack on a house in the North was sectarian, police said today.

The fire at the property in Ballymena’s mainly Catholic Dunclug estate in Co Antrim was reported at 9.15pm yesterday evening, but the Protestant family was not at home at the time.

The home was extensively damaged during the blaze, on the eve of the pinnacle of the marching season.

A relative said the family’s windows had been broken regularly.

Colin Dickson from the Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze was intense and took an hour to extinguish.

“The firefighters had to face intense heat to search the premises to make sure no-one was trapped inside,” he said.