Waterford arson murders: gardaí appeal for information after four killed in petrol bomb attack

Four members of the English family died after a petrol bomb set their Birchwood estate home ablaze. Two children remain critical as gardaí link the attack to organised crime.

Gardaí believe community holds key to Waterford arson that killed family of four

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a petrol bomb attack on a family home in the Birchwood estate in Waterford that killed four people, the Irish Independent reports.

Kim English, Philip English, and their sons Callum, aged 12, and Jayden, aged nine, died after an incendiary device set their home ablaze in the early hours of the morning while the family of six were asleep upstairs. Two other children, aged 14 and six, remain in a critical condition at Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin.

Chief Superintendent Pettit said gardaí are treating the attack as deliberate. "There are people in the community who know the person or persons who carried out this arson attack in which four people have been murdered," he said. He urged anyone with information to contact the Garda investigation team at Waterford Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Post-mortem examinations are being conducted at University Hospital Waterford by Chief State Pathologist Professor Linda Mulligan and State Pathologist Dr SallyAnne Collis. The family home in Birchwood Estate remains sealed off for a second consecutive day as forensic examination and evidence gathering continues.

Detectives have linked the attack to organised crime and drugs-related intimidation. Raids were carried out overnight on the homes of at least two significant criminal figures in Waterford city, with investigating gardaí and armed officers seizing a number of electronic devices and vehicles. The two men are connected to the drugs trade and are suspected of involvement in drug debt intimidation.

Gardaí say they have gathered evidence and spoken to a number of suspects, though no arrests have been made. They report receiving good cooperation from the public but continue to appeal for further information.

Anyone who was in the vicinity of Birch Avenue, Birchwood, between 4.30am and 5.30am on the morning of the attack, or who was driving on nearby roads during that period, is asked to make any dashcam footage or images available to investigators. The incident room at Waterford Garda Station can be reached on 051 305300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or through any garda station.

Source: Irish Independent