The arson attack in Waterford, which killed four people and left two children in critical condition, is having a similar impact on the city as the Stardust fire had in Dublin, a Waterford councillor has said.
A murder inquiry is under way after Philip English (50s), his wife Kim English (30s) and two of their four children died when their home in Waterford city was deliberately set on fire in the early hours of Tuesday.
Two other children – a girl aged 14 years and a boy aged six – remained critically ill in Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) in Crumlin, Dublin, on Thursday.
The impact on the people in Waterford, Sinn Féin councillor John Hearne said, is comparable to the 1981 fire at the Stardust nightclub in north Dublin which killed 48 young people.
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“The only way to describe it down here – and I was in Dublin during Stardust – [is that] it is as sad as that,” Hearne told RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh.
Hearne said he knew Philip English well, as he had approached the councillor on a number of occasions for help with problems. “He was a lad who would be chatting all the time,” Hearne said.
The English family had reached out to several local councillors hoping to secure a council transfer to another home as they felt unsafe.
Gardaí suspect Philip English had taken on a drug debt incurred by an associate in an effort to keep him safe. It is thought the local crime gang which was owed money targeted the family, and was also behind an attack on the home last month.
Meanwhile, a manager at a community hub in Waterford city is said she was attempting to place “a blanket of support” around “traumatised” neighbours in the wake of a fatal fire.
Amy McGuire, manager of the Butler Community Centre, said her role involved giving impacted persons “an embrace and a safe space”.
“I want them to be able to come away from everything and just breathe. It can be just having a cup of tea and a talk and a cry. If they want to speak to someone, it is there for them.
“It is very busy. Boots are on the ground. We have had families in for counselling sessions. We have counsellors, therapists and play therapists.
“Not only do you have a fire and a loss of life, it is the fact that everyone witnessed the fire and tried their hardest to get people out. You can’t fathom how horrific that is.”
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The family were very well acquainted with CHI. The six-year-old boy, who is currently at CHI, underwent open-heart surgery on-site when he was a baby.
Both the boy (6) and Jayden, who died in the fire, had heart defects. Their 14-year-old sister, who is also in hospital in Crumlin, had leukaemia when she was younger.
Local woman Imelda Doherty said Kim was a “a right warrior mum” when it came to advocating for her children.
“She did fight and had to fight to get her kids what they deserve. She was still fighting for them.”
Another friend of the family said the reality of what had occurred was beginning to sink in.
The woman, who declined to be named, said her son was heartbroken at the death of his “pal” Callum.
“Callum was one of his closest friends, and they spent a lot of time together,” she said. “Callum had some wonderful friends, including my son, and it will take them a very long time to recover.”
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Waterford Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane meanwhile told the Dáil that “vulnerable families and innocent people” must be protected from violence and harassment.
In the wake of the fire, Cullinane said “other families are looking out their front doors and wondering, could their children be next”.
“No family should have to put their children to bed wondering whether someone will set fire to their home before morning, and yet drug gangs and organised criminals are inflicting precisely that terror on families.”
He said: “They threaten children, they assault people, they burn homes, they murder people and they pursue parents, friends and even neighbours for money.”
