A twenty-one-year-old man has appeared in court following an arson attack in Dungannon which saw 12 people treated in hospital, including two children.
Eight police officers who have been commended for bravery in rescuing the family, despite the intensity of the fire suffered smoke inhalation in the process.
Miguel Caetanito, of Canal Place, Coalisland is charged with destroying the semi-detached house in Cunninghams Lane by fire with intent to endanger the lives of the occupants – two adults aged 70 and 37 and the two children
Offending is alleged to have occurred on February 3.
A detective sergeant told Strabane Magistrates’ Court the charge could be connected.
He explained police were notified by NI Fire and Rescue Service of a house on fire with children aged 7 and 10, trapped inside.
Officers used ladders to rescue all the occupants.
The older child was spoken to hospital in the ambulance and said: “The crazy man in the red jumper did it.”
Police noticed an intoxicated male wearing a red top standing on the roof of a building.
He was arrested and taken to hospital as a precaution, during which he commented: “I came out of the fire.”
A short time later he stated: “I’m in a lot of trouble. I need to speak to a solicitor urgently.”
When the child was stabilised she was spoken to again in hospital explaining she had completed her homework and gone upstairs to her bedroom along with her younger sister.
She said the defendant had been in the house downstairs with her uncle and identified him as Caetanito.
Around 8.30pm she became very warm and on opening a window, immediately smelled smoke and realised there was a fire downstairs.
The child ran to the door but it was forced open by the blaze and smoke filled the room.
During five interviews conducted over two days, Caetanito replied “no comment” to all questions.
Under cross-examination the sergeant was “satisfied the fire was started maliciously and examinations of the scene are continuing.”
There was no application for bail and District Judge Oonagh Mullan remanded Caetanito in custody to appear by video-link at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on March 5.
Footage shared on social media showed the blaze has extensively spread through the property with huge flames behind the front door, blocking the exit.
A child was heard screaming for help from the open window of an upstairs bedroom while smoke billowed out.
Police officers were commended for rescuing the occupants having fought against the blaze before fire crews arrived.
An elderly woman found unresponsive at the scene and a thirty-seven-year-old man were rushed to hospital critically ill, as were the children whose condition was later confirmed to be stable.
The elderly woman is now stable, however, the male remains in intensive care.
The eight police officers were also taken to hospital, one of whom collapsed after bringing the family to safety.
Caetanito was detained at the scene and the following day a 15-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
He has since been released on bail.
