AN INNOCENT mum last night told how she is in “complete shock”after her home was targeted in a terrifying arson attack.
The woman – who did not want to be named – spoke to the Irish Sun after her property was engulfed in flames in Clondalkin, Dublin shortly after 11pm on Saturday, February 15.
The mum native was asleep when the fire took hold[/caption]
She was living on the property with her 22-year-old son[/caption]
The blaze destroyed the entire house[/caption]
And the floor-to-ceiling glass windows were completely destroyed by the flames[/caption]
The 51-year-old told us how she and her son narrowly escaped the devastating inferno that has left them “homeless” in the aftermath.
Gardai are probing the blaze and are working to establish a motive for the attack but believe it’s linked to anti-social behaviour in the area.
The Nigerian native, who has been living in Ireland for the past 25 years, was asleep when the fire took hold.
She was living on the property with her 22-year-old son, who was downstairs watching TV when he saw the inferno sweeping across his home shortly after 11pm.
She told us: “I came back from work maybe around 5pm [and] slept around 11pm. I can’t even say…just [heard] my son shouting ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy.’
‘FLAMES EVERYWHERE’
“I used to lock myself inside the room. I don’t know how I opened the door. When I came to the landing upstairs in the corridor, I saw flames everywhere. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe. I had to cover my mouth.
“I went to the toilet door to try to jump through the window. [But] the toilet window was very small so I couldn’t. I just put my nose through the window so I can be breathed.”
The Irish Sun has seen the CCTV footage of the property, which shows two hooded suspects setting fire to the front door and fleeing the scene after the explosion.
Other horrifying videos also showed how the property blackened and smoked in the middle of the night.
The property sustained extensive damage, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows seen completely destroyed by the flames.
The front door and the kitchen have been destroyed, and the video shows devastation inside the house, with no furniture or decorations remaining after the horrifying fire.
The Nigerian native added: “They broke the window and threw the fire in everything. It was two [young lads]. We can’t even see their faces.
‘IT’S A VERY BIG SHOCK’
“They also damaged my car. It’s a shock. It’s a big shock. It’s a very big shock.
“[My son] was downstairs in the sitting room watching TV. He is traumatised. He is thinking about everything…his mum’s health, my health, because I am 51 years old, I am not getting any younger anymore.”
She continued: “This is the second time. My former house was vandalised about three years ago. They broke all the windows [but] this time they just set a flame. They didn’t try to rob anything.
“Everything is gone. All the property, everything is gone. Memories as well, photographs. My friend just gave me pyjamas to wear. All my work clothes, everything is gone. I am homeless now.”
No one was injured in the fire, but the blaze destroyed the entire house.
They were rescued from their home and brought to the nearby hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
The mother-of-four said: “I came out from the house with only pyjamas, without any shoes. A neighbour gave one to me [when they] came to rescue us. They tried to put water into the fire.
“There is nowhere to stay so I am staying with a friend, sleeping in the living room. My son can’t stay here. He’s staying with his friend.
“I am from Nigeria. I’ve been in this country for 25 years. My record is clean. No fights, no quarrels with anybody at all.
‘THEY TRAUMATISED ME’
“I couldn’t sleep even for 30 minutes, I couldn’t sleep. I took sleeping pills. They traumatised me.”
The Nigerian woman told us the property was under the State’s rental accommodation scheme (RAS) run by South Dublin County Council.
She has contacted them but was told “they can’t do anything right now,” adding that she should “seek support from friends and family.”
The Irish Sun has contacted the South Dublin County Council for a statement.
A spokesperson for Gardai stated that the property sustained extensive damage, and the incident is currently being investigated as “criminal damage.”
They added: “Gardaí and emergency services responded to a house fire at Lindisfarne Grove shortly after 11 p.m. on February 15th.
“The property sustained extensive damage. The incident is being investigated as criminal damage.
“Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Clondalkin Garda Station 01 6667600 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.”
Horrifying videos showed how the property blackened and smoked in the middle of the night[/caption]
They fled the scene after the explosion[/caption]
The video shows devastation inside the house, with no furniture or decorations remaining after the horrifying fire[/caption]
