‘We still have no clue why arsonist torched our farm’
Family tell of ongoing trauma over €500k fire horror
A FAMILY have issued a fresh appeal for information after an arsonist crept onto their land at night and torched their farm.
The incident happened ten months ago, and Eugene and Lorraine O’Neill said they are still deeply traumatised knowing the culprit is still at large.
On November 27 last year, the couple woke to find their property, on the outskirts of Clonbulloge, Co. Offaly, engulfed in flames.
Mr O’Neill told RTÉ’s Crimecall: ‘At around seven o’clock that morning our neighbour woke us up. She just kept on shouting “fire, fire, fire”.
‘We ran outside and couldn’t really see much, only smoke. It was very windy and there was smoke everywhere.
‘We didn’t know what was on fire and what wasn’t. We couldn’t do much else but look.’
The family discovered several fires in and around their farmland, putting at risk not only their livestock and expensive farm machinery, but their house as well.
Ms O’Neill vividly remembers the
‘There was a huge ball of flames’
intensity of the flames and the scramble as they entered burning sheds to rescue animals and equipment.
She said: ‘There was a huge ball of orange flames facing me. It was really windy and it was blowing the fire towards us and the house. It was horrific and to realise somebody is after doing this. There are people out there that know who [is responsible].’
Garda investigators found that the farm machinery had been individually packed with straw and set alight.
Although the farm was covered by extensive CCTV cameras, gardaí believe the cable to the cameras was deliberately cut shortly before 5am on the morning of the fire.
They say the hard drive for the cameras was taken on the night and ‘has yet to be recovered’.
Approximately €400,000 to €500,000 worth of damage was caused by the fire that night including the destruction of an automatic milking robot, hampering the family’s plans for expanding the farm.
One of their biggest concerns is whether ‘they will come back and do it again’.
The entire family have struggled to understand how anybody could deliberately start a fire on their property.
Ms O’Neill added: ‘It’s the most terrifying feeling to think that when you go to bed at night, there are people on the road, moving around with bad intent.’
She later explained that she suffers post-traumatic stress due to the incident.
Ms O’Neill told Midlands 103FM: ‘You think you are all right but the minute I hear fire engines I am right back at that moment.
‘It’s definitely post-traumatic stress because you’re just not the same person and don’t have peace of mind.
‘I can’t reiterate how despicable and cowardly the person who did this is. They need to go to court and get a significant sentence.
‘People sometimes wonder did they fall out with someone or did they bring this on themselves but this was done for no reason.’
Ms O’Neill is urging anyone with information to come forward and make themselves known to the gardaí.
‘Don’t let these people get away with this,’ she said.
‘There were children in our house and there were animals in the yard. If you have any information, and haven’t already come forward to the guards, it’s not too late.’
ian.begley@dailymail.ie