13/11/2003

Couple escape injury in 'suspicious' fire

A married couple have escaped injury after a suspicious fire seriously damaged their home in Antrim on Thursday.

The blaze is thought to have spread from a heating oil tank and shed at the back of the house in Oriel Park in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The couple's pet cat was treated for serious burns.

Today's incident was similar to a blaze which destroyed a home in north Belfast on Wednesday. A couple and their five-year-old son were treated for shock and smoke inhalation after fleeing from their home following the arson attack in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police believe the couple's oil tank was deliberately set alight.

(MB)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

30 June 2016
Man Treated For Shock Following House Fire In Co Antrim
A man is being treated for shock following a fire at a house in Co Antrim. The blaze started shortly before noon today, 30 June, at a bungalow in Crumlin. The fire spread to a nearby oil tank and a number of residents have been evacuated from their homes.
14 March 2022
Oil Retailers Must Honour Agreed Price
Domestic home heating oil retailers and online brokers must honour agreed contracts – this means that customers cannot be charged more if prices increase between ordering and delivery.
05 September 2018
Couple Die In Omagh Crash
A couple, aged in their 70s, have died in a crash in Omagh. The collision, between a car and a lorry, happened on the Doogary Road just before 3pm on Monday, 03 September. The man and woman died at the scene of the crash. The lorry driver was not injured.
14 March 2013
John McAreavey Gets Payout
John McAreavey, the husband of Michaela who was murdered on her honeymoon in Maritius in January 2011, has been awarded damages after the Irish Daily Mail published still photographs of another couple arguing. The newspaper expressed its apologies for the publication of the CCTV photographs.
30 March 2004
Two men remanded in custody over burglary charges
Two men have appeared in court today charged with aggravated burglary. The men, Patrick Joseph Quinn, aged 17, from Whitecliff Parade, and Sean Paul Reid, 19, from Divismore Crescent, both Belfast, appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court in connection with an incident at Norfolk Drive in the west of the city on Monday. At around 12.