Arson attack on house in County Down while children slept inside
Police are appealing for information after an attempt was made to set a Co Down house alight while children were asleep inside.
The incident was reported at about 3.45am on Saturday in the Struell Avenue area of Downpatrick.
Police were told two males had approached a house and poured petrol over the front door and a car before trying to set them on fire.
They left the scene in a vehicle before police arrived.
A short time later, a car was set alight in the Saul Road area and police believe this is the vehicle the suspects travelled in.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Luckily, the fire had not spread and was extinguished by the resident of the property relatively quickly.
“However, there were a number of children and adults asleep in the property at the time this happened and it is very fortunate nobody was injured.”
Any witness or people with doorbell or dashcam footage from the area is asked to call PSNI on 101 quoting reference 204 of 25/10/25.
SDLP Downpatrick councillor Conor Galbraith condemned the incident.
He said: “We are incredibly lucky that the resident of this property was alert to this fire and able to put it out quickly before anyone was harmed. To set a fire at a property with both adults and children asleep inside in the early hours of the morning was a reckless and destructive act and we could have been dealing with a tragedy.
“I am sure this will have been a terrifying incident for those inside the property and the resident who responded to the blaze. To put people at risk like this is totally wrong and I’m sure it will take time for them to come to terms with what happened in their home."