Irish police have launched a murder investigation after a deliberate fire at a house in Waterford City killed two adults and two children on Tuesday. The dead were named locally as Philip and Kim English and two of their children, and two other children were critically injured.
Emergency services were called to the home on Birch Avenue in the Birchwood area shortly after 5am. Waterford Fire Service said it was alerted at 5.13am. Crews from nearby stations found a well-developed fire in the two-storey house, brought out several casualties and put out the blaze before handing the scene to gardaí. The National Ambulance Service also attended. The two injured children were taken to Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin in Dublin for treatment. A neighbour said she phoned for help at 5.15am after hearing the fire take hold.
Chief Superintendent Anthony Pettit said gardaí believe the house was attacked by a person or persons unknown and that the fire was started on purpose. The property has been declared a crime scene. Officers are appealing to anyone who was near Birch Avenue between 4.30am and 5.30am to come forward, and want drivers who were in Birchwood or on nearby roads during that hour to share any dashcam footage or images.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan condemned what he called a harrowing attack and said it had been felt across the country. He spoke to Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who confirmed that the murder investigation is being supported by the National Bureau for Criminal Investigation. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described events as deeply disturbing and thanked the first responders. John Cummins, a Minister of State from Waterford, said the city had been “plunged into utter devastation and sadness”. Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane said he was deeply affected by the grief facing families, neighbours and the wider city and county.
Church leaders spoke of a community in shock. Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore said people were struggling and called for prayer and mutual support. Father Gerard Chestnutt, parish priest at Sacred Heart Church at The Folly, said the family were well known locally and that it was “a day of immense sadness” for the area. Waterford City and County Council has opened the Butler Community Centre in St John’s Park as a support hub, offering professional help and refreshments to residents.
