Old court fire was ‘probably malicious’ says fire officer

February 1986

THE fire which gutted the Oldcourt refurbishment scheme last Sunday probably was malicious in origin, according to a preliminary report by the Bray Fire Officer, John Moran.

Investigations have revealed that fires started in at least three different sites in the scheme on Sunday less than two hours after workmen left the site.

These details were spelled out at this week’s meeting of Bray Urban Council where Assistant County Manager Brian Johnston gave members an up-to-date briefing on the incident.

Mr Johnston said the report stated that after firemen put out a small fire on Saturday night, workmen had been on the scene until about 12.30 p.m. on Sunday, clearing away waste papers and other hazardous fire materials.

Yet fire broke out shortly afterwards and the fire brigade arrived on the scene at 2.39 p.m.

Commenting on the report, Mr Johnston said that if any persons had been involved in the deliberate destruction of the scheme, it was a ‘disgraceful and despicable’ act.

In an angry attack, he stated that whoever has started the fire was not hurting the officials, or the council or the Minister for the Environment, but residents of the estate for whom the scheme had been undertaken.

And he made it clear that it was his view the arsonists were from the estate itself when he added that ‘ these people were not imported’.

He called on anyone who could help in identifying the arsonists to come forward with information for the gardai, who had been called in to carry out forensic examinations of the site at the council’s request.