Garda technical experts are continuing forensic examinations of two public houses in Mayo, both trading under the same name, which were destroyed in separate fires early yesterday.
Dicey Reillys in Newport and Dicey Reillys in Ballyvary, both of which were being leased by a Belmullet man, Mr Padraig Reilly, were burned almost to the ground in the blazes.
The fires occurred between 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. There were no casualties, as both premises were empty.
Supt Pat Doyle of Westport Garda station, who is leading the investigation into the Newport fire, has confirmed that the fires are being treated as suspicious.
"What is suspicious first of all is that two premises of the same name within 20 miles of each other went up in smoke within a half-hour of each other," Supt Doyle said.
He could not confirm whether there were any findings on the premises to suggest arson.
Det Insp Jerry Henry of Castlebar, who is leading the investigation into the Ballyvary incident, said there were at least two possible motives behind the fires, malicious damage or a vendetta.
A local resident spotted the Newport blaze at around 2.40 a.m. and notified the emergency services.
A total of 40 fire officers from stations throughout the county fought the blazes in both premises over the course of six hours before getting them under control.
Gardai were notified of the Ballyvary fire at around 2.55 a.m. by a passing motorist.
The proprietors of the Ballyvary premises are a local family, the Cannings, who used to run the premises under the name Cannings. The name Dicey Reillys was attached to the premises just six months ago when it was leased to Mr Reilly.