ERRONEOUS REPORTS ABOUT the cause of a fire at a property in Drogheda housing international protection applicants had the effect of downplaying the severity of the incident, according to a group representing asylum seekers.

The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (Masi) said the idea that the fire was sparked by fireworks made it seem it was the result of a Hallowe’en prank gone wrong, rather than a deliberately dangerous act.

It led to genuine confusion among people, with some believing it may have been the result of children putting fireworks in letterboxes given last Friday was 31 October.

The confusion arose on Saturday morning when Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan released a statement claiming that the blaze started after fireworks were thrown into the building on George’s Street in the town on Friday night after 8pm.

But CCTV footage that emerged yesterday appeared to show that the fire was started by a man who entered the building and poured petrol in the stairwell, before setting it alight. 

“Fireworks were thrown into the building, causing a fire and putting lives at risk,” O’Callaghan said.

O’Callaghan further condemned the attack and said he thought it was a “terrifying ordeal for the women and children” staying in the building to suffer through.

Sources have told The Journal that petrol being set alight was a suspected cause early on Friday night. However, there was no mention of petrol in the minister’s statement. 

The Journal understands the minister was initially briefed on a possible fireworks element of the incident, but was told later in the day about the petrol as the investigation unfolded and the CCTV footage emerged.

No correction has been issued to date by the minister.

Masi said the initial reports of fireworks “downplayed” the impact of the violent incident that could have become fatal if not for local fire crews and gardaí.

“It makes it seem like an accident,” Masi coordinator Lucky Khambule told The Journal.

“The minister’s statement made it seem like it was a firecracker,” Khambule said, adding that the incident was being written off by some as a Hallowe’en prank.

“It was not a firecracker. It was a deliberate attempt to set fire to the Ipas building,” Khambule added.

“It’s very important that the people in that position give the correct information. The minister was quick to make a statement,” Khmabule said.

The seriousness of the incident was underlined by the Irish Refugee Council’s chief executive Nick Henderson, who said it amounted to a “crossing of the Rubicon” as it involved an Ipas centre being targeted while people were sleeping inside.

“There’s a pattern ongoing now for several years of arson attacks, this seems to be crossing a Rubicon of actually attacking people where there are residents actually living,” Henderson told Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio One.

The more than a dozen attacks that happened previously at Ipas centres were against often empty buildings that had been earmarked for use as accommodation.

Since the incident, The Journal has seen prominent accounts that publish disinformation pivoting from downplaying the attack to now supporting the blaze. They have also warned that similar attacks will happen again.

How does an investigation into a fire happen?

Investigations into fires such as Friday’s begin with the Fire Service initially checking to see if it may have been caused by an electrical fault.

It’s understood that the Fire Service ruled that possibility out, meaning gardaí then preserved the scene and conducted technical examinations. Further examinations were carried out by gardaí and investigators now believe that an accelerant such as petrol was used to start the fire.

In a statement on Saturday night, the Garda Press Office said that there had been “initial reports of the fire being started by the discharge of fireworks”.

A Garda spokesperson said that investigations by gardaí indicate that the fire was “started deliberately” and an investigation was being pursued.

Security review of Ipas centres

The government has committed to a security review of the more than 320 Ipas centres across the country in light of Friday’s attack.

Khambule criticised the response by the government parties to the attacks on Ipas centres, coming against a backdrop of increased anti-migrant demonstrations.

He said the main part of the response from the government has been “mass deportations of people” without doing enough to protect asylum seekers facing the threats.

With reporting by Niall O’Connor, Christina Finn and Andrew Walsh

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