Boy, 6, dies after Waterford arson attack; death toll rises to five

The fire in Birchwood

An incendiary device set fire to a family home in the Birchwood estate in Waterford city at 5am on Tuesday, 13 October, in what is being investigated as a suspected arson attack. The boy's parents and his two brothers, aged 12 and nine, died in the attack. Two other children were critically injured in the blaze, and both were first treated at University Hospital Waterford at Ardkeen before being moved to Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin in Dublin. The six-year-old boy had extensive third-degree burns and severe smoke inhalation, and he remained in a critical condition for four weeks. He died at Crumlin with members of his extended family at his bedside. His death brings to five the number of people who have died in the suspected arson attack.

The surviving child and the family's appeal

The second child, a 14-year-old girl, is still in a critical but stable condition at Crumlin. In a statement, the family described the loss as an unimaginable one and said the latest bereavement had left relatives, neighbours and friends facing an overwhelming period of grief. They asked the media for time, space and privacy, and they asked that the 14-year-old be kept in everyone's thoughts and prayers. The family said it expected considerable public interest and asked that its privacy, dignity and right to grieve be respected. It also thanked everyone who had shown kindness, compassion and support during the period.

Speakers at a joint funeral Mass for the boy's mother, father and two brothers described the family as highly regarded in the community and said they had done no wrong to anyone. The Mass was held for the four family members who died in the attack on 13 October, and it was reported that the family's relatives, neighbours and friends are now grieving together.

Arrests and court appearances

Six people have been arrested to date as part of the garda investigation into the arson attack. Four were arrested in October: a man in his 50s, two women in their 30s and a man in his 20s. They were arrested on suspicion of facilitating a criminal organisation and detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, the anti-gang legislation, but all four were later released without charge. Gardaí said that files will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and that their investigation remains ongoing. The two other people arrested in October, a 31-year-old woman with an address in Waterford city and a 21-year-old man of no fixed abode, appeared before Waterford District Court. Both were further remanded in custody, which is not a sentence, and they will be back before the same court on 17 November, appearing by video-link.