Halloween prank set off house fire

November 1994

Quick thinking neighbours prevented a Halloween prank turning to tragedy this week when they tackled a blaze started by a firework in a Bray house.

GARDEN hoses and fire extinguishers were used by local people to deal with the emergency after a firecracker was dropped through the front door letter box of the house at Cill Sarain off Herbert Road.

Nobody was in when the drama unfolded at approximately 7.30 p.m. last Monday evening, but alerted by the sound of the burglar alarm, householder Gerard Rooney returned to be confronted with the fire at his home soon after.

Eye witness Seamus Carroll, proprietor of the nearby Green Tree shop, described how he and his assistant, Paul Roche, grabbed fire extinguishers and rushed to the scene when they became aware of the danger.

‘WE were joined by neighbours who got out garden hoses to keep the flames under control until the fire brigade arrived,’ he said.

A unit of Bray fire brigade arrived at 7.42 p.m. and put out the blaze, but not before it burned out the hall and caused extensive smoke damage to the rest of the house.

The scene was examined afterwards by garda forensics experts and a senior officer later confirmed that the blaze had been started by a firework.

‘We believe that a fire-cracker was dropped through the letterbox and set fire to a curtain across the door. It was very fortunate the blaze did not get out of control and cause more serious damage.’

The incident was strongly condemned by Mr Joe Horan, secretary of Wicklow County Council, the local fire authority.

‘ This is to be condemned not only because it potentially could have been a very serious fire but also because it tied up vital fire-fighting resources at a time of high alert,’ he said.

The fire at Cill Sarain was the most serious incident in Bray during this year’s Halloween festivities with gardai reporting that traditional bonfire celebrations had generally passed off quietly around the town.

In contrast to last year, there were only a few small seizures of fireworks in the Bray/ Greystones area in the period leading up to Halloween. Gardai believe that a major seizure in Dublin earlier last month helped to cut down on the supply.