Man held after two girls injured in Waterford petrol bomb attack

A man in his early 20s has been arrested in connection with a petrol bomb attack on a home in Waterford city last night in which two young children were injured.

The children, an 11-year-old girl and her one-year-old sister, received burn injuries when a petrol bomb was thrown into their home in Ardmore Park, Ballybeg in Waterford city.

A third child, a four-month-old boy was also in the house at the time but was uninjured.

The children were in the front sitting room of their home when the petrol bomb was thrown through the front window and exploded at around 9pm.

The girls were sitting on a sofa at the time and their grandmother rushed into room and managed to put out the flames using a fire extinguisher.

It's understood the two children were taken to Waterford University Hospital where they were treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries. The boy was also taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The scene of the attack has been preserved to allow Garda technical experts carry out a forensic examination of the scene in a bid to identify those behind the attack.

The arrested man is being questioned at Waterford Garda station under section 4 of the criminal justice act of 1984.

Gardaí say two men were seen running away from the scene of the attack and they have appealed to witnesses to contact them at Waterford Garda station on 051-305300.