LAST UPDATE | 4 Feb 2025

DETECTIVES IN CO Tyrone have made a second arrest following a deliberate fire at a house which has left two people in a critical condition. 

At around 8.30pm yesterday evening, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service received reports of a house fire in the Cunninghams Lane area of Dungannon in Co Tyrone.

The fire service was informed of reports that children were trapped inside the house and contacted colleagues within the PSNI.

PSNI officers immediately made their way to the house and arrived before the fire service.

The PSNI has since confirmed that the fire was started deliberately and described the incident as “mindless cruelty”.

This evening, the police service said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He remains in police custody and is assisting with enquiries.

A 21-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life also remains in police custody this evening.

A police cordon remains in place at the properties as officers work alongside the Northern Ireland Fire Service to establish the cause of the fire.

Earlier PSNI District Commander, Superintendent Peter Stevenson, said the house was “well alight” when officers arrived at the scene.

The scene in the Cunninghams Lane area of Dungannon after four people were rescued by PSNI officers from a house fire Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Officers obtained two ladders from neighbouring properties and used them to rescue an unresponsive 70-year-old woman and a young child from the rear of the property. 

They then entered the house and brought a second child and a 37-year-old man to safety. 

The fire service then extinguished the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the house.

The four people rescued from the house were taken to hospital.

A man aged 37 and a woman aged 70 remain in a critical condition, while two children, aged 7 and 10, are in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, a fifth person was found on the roof and brought to safety. This person was the 21-year-old man who was subsequently arrested. He remains in custody.

Eight PSNI officers were also taken to hospital for treatment for the effects of smoke inhalation, and all were released in the early hours of the morning.

One of the officers had collapsed after rescuing one of the children from the property. 

Stevenson said that while he is “extremely proud of their actions, my thoughts, and those of all of us in the Police Service, are with those who remain in hospital today”.

He further thanked the residents of Cunninghams Lane for their assistance with this “terrible incident, which was undoubtedly traumatic for all involved”.

“The community will continue to see the presence of the emergency services in the area throughout today, as we proceed with our investigation into the cause of this fire,” added Stevenson.

The PSNI has appealed to anyone with information to make contact and officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have relevant CCTV, doorbell or other footage.

A report can also be submitted online via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ and Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/