Tragedy averted after suspected Auburn Heights arson

A random arson attack in an Athlone housing estate almost ended in tragedy last week, as neighbours had to act swiftly to rescue a female French student from the first floor of a smoke-filled home. It's thought that youths were responsible for setting fire to the front door of the house in Auburn Heights just before 9pm on Wednesday last (December 15). The homeowners, Jim and Janice Dobbie, had gone into town shortly before the fire was started and so the only person in the house at the time was a French student who was staying with them. She was upstairs listening to headphones when the fire was started and only became aware of what was happening after the flames began to engulf the front door. A vigilant neighbour sounded the alarm and two men entered through the rear of the house to rescue the student, who was “hysterical.†Meanwhile, other neighbours battled the blaze and managed to put it out before two engines of the Athlone fire service arrived at the scene at approximately 9.10pm. The two men who rescued the young woman later had to be taken to Portiuncula Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. They were discharged from the hospital at 2am on Thursday morning. The French student, who returned to her native country the following day, also received treatment for smoke inhalation. Gardai said this week that they were following “a definite line of inquiry†in relation to the attack. “This was a case in which the disorderly behaviour of some youths got out of hand. It was a very serious incident and we are treating it as such,†said Sergeant John Lawless yesterday (Tuesday). The front door of the house in question had to be boarded up after the incident, while its interior suffered extensive smoke damage. “Our neighbours have been tremendous but we still don't know how this happened or who did it,†said homeowner Jim Dobbie. There was a sense of shock and anger among residents of Auburn Heights this week in relation to the attack. An onlooker said the seriousness of the incident was such that “somebody could easily have been killed.†One of the men who rescued the French student from the house believed petrol must have been used in the attack, as the PVC front door was completely destroyed within minutes. The man said he didn't want to be named as he wasn't seeking praise or publicity for himself. Another neighbour said: “We've been living here for 28 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Jim and Janice are lovely people and everyone who knows them was flabbergasted when they heard about it. I hope whoever did this is caught and punished.â€