Gardaí treat site of Dublin gas explosion as possible crime scene

Gardaí in Dublin are treating an explosion in a house near the Phoenix Park at the weekend, in which a man was gravely injured, as a possible crime scene.

It is understood that the incident, on Sunday evening, in which a man suffered serious burns and which caused the evacuation of 10 houses, may have been deliberate.

The explosion in the small redbrick terraced house on Sullivan Street happened at 6.23pm and was attended by six units of Dublin Fire Brigade.

The injured man, understood to be in his late 50s, was taken from the scene by Fire Brigade ambulance.

The explosion was caused by a gas leak from the pipes within the house coming into contact with a heat source, causing an ignition. The front of the house was completely blown away.

The two adjoining houses were also so badly damaged that they have had to be partially demolished by Dublin City Council’s dangerous buildings section to make them safe.

An eight-foot-high hoarding has been erected around the scene to protect passersby from falling debris.

The three houses will be examined in coming days by insurance assessors before their likely full demolition.

Ten houses in all were evacuated on Sunday due to concerns about their structural stability, though residents have now been allowed to return.

A spokeswoman for Dublin City Council said all houses on the street would be inspected in coming days to ensure their structural stability.

The windows of two other houses on Sullivan Street were blown out by the blast, which neighbours said had filled the street with bricks, glass and other debris.

Several commented that it was fortunate that the explosion happened on a bank holiday Sunday when many families were away, because normally the terrace would have been “full of kids playing”.

One woman who did not want to be named said residents were, “very upset thinking about what could have happened. Someone or some child could have been killed or maimed here, would have been killed or maimed if they had been here. Someone’s prayers must have been answered that there was no one on the street when it happened.”

Playground

Shards of glass still lay strewn around the street yesterday evening, as well as on the adjoining Kinahan Street, Aberdeen Street and Infirmary Road.

A city council worker said a section of a window had been found in the playground, about 30m from the scene, in the park on Infirmary Road.

Garda forensics experts were yesterday examining the scene and removing items in evidence bags. A Garda spokesman said a file would be prepared on the incident.

Forensics investigators were also on the scene from Bord Gáis Networks.

A spokesman said the gas had been disconnected to the house after the explosion by personnel who were on the scene within 20 minutes of the incident. He said a report would be written for submission to the energy regulator.