PSNI appeal for witnesses after arson attack saw pair hospitalised

The attack, in which a mattress was set alight outside a property, caused a house to catch fire. A man and woman had to be treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

The incident happened in the early hours of today, Friday 11 November.Detective Sergeant McVeagh said: "It was reported just before 3.10am that a fire outside a property in the Woodvale Avenue area had spread to a residence."Officers attended, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service, who extinguished the blaze."Two people, a man and a woman, were present in the house at the time and were taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation."At this time, we believe a mattress outside the property was set alight before the fire spread to the house, causing significant damage to a downstairs living area."Our enquiries are ongoing into this reckless act, which is being treated as arson with intent to endanger life, and I would appeal to anyone who may be able to assist with our investigation to contact us, quoting reference 126 of 11/11/22."Were you in the area at the time and saw anything? Do you have dashcam, CCTV or other footage which could help with our enquiries? If so, the number to call is 101."Witnesses can also submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form at http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/