Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Five killed by 60mph wind of ‘firenado’
Support group dealing daily with victims of intimidation
AT least five people have been killed as wildfires and vicious “firenadoes” have destroyed towns.
The firenadoes ravaging northern California are flames that have been whipped up into a whirlwind by 60mph gusts, and are strong enough to flip cars.
Officials said the fire whirls are also uprooting trees and road.
Melody Bledsoe, 70, and great-grandchildren James Roberts, five, and fouryear-old Emily Roberts were killed in a trailer home in Redding. The children’s mum, Sherry Bledsoe, said through tears: “My babies are dead.”
Bulldozer operator Don Ray Smith, 81, and fire inspector Jeremy Stoke also perished in the inferno. PARAMILITARIES are holding a woman under virtual house arrest.
It is one of the cases being dealt with by the Wave Trauma Centre, the largest support group for those affected by the Troubles.
Manager Alan Mcbride said around a third of its referrals involved more recent paramilitary intimidation, which was stretching resources.
He added: “We are working with one young woman who is effectively under house arrest.
“Paramilitaries have told her if she is seen on the street there will be bother. She cannot leave the house.”
Much of Wave’s work with intimidation victims involves keeping them safe in their homes, including supplying security cameras.
Mr Mcbride said: “There are ongoing issues we are dealing with day-to-day, sometimes having their houses attacked or car windows smashed.
“People looking at people across the street, threatening words. Estates are very small and localised, people in one loyalist housing estate moving to another loyalist area, intimidation follows them as the UDA and UVF have tentacles everywhere.”
Mr Mcbride added a lot of their problems were “selfinflicted”.
He said: “Some are involved in joyriding, drugs, anti-social behaviour. But these are matters for the police and not for paramilitaries to act as selfappointed judge and jury to inflict their version of justice on communities.”
Mr Mcbride revealed dissident republicans had been “using” children during recent violence in Derry’s Bogside.
He added: “There is a lot happening that is not helpful. We are dealing with the aftermath, with some of the people that come to us.
“Our resources are being stretched in relation to people coming with present day-today issues and there are people who have been put out of their homes because of intimidation.” Mr Mcbride said it was a policing question as to how much of the intimidation was Troubles-related and how much was present day.
He believes Wave is making sustained efforts to address the issue, but added: “You have a very sick society.
“There is the appearance of a blind eye being turned.”