The deputy chief constable of Northern Ireland has praised the courage of a team of police officers who saved two adults and two children from a blazing house in County Tyrone, reports Breaking News.
After the fire at the Dungannon residence on Monday night, a 70-year-old woman and a 37-year-old male are in critical condition in the hospital.
Eight police officers who were hospitalised for smoke inhalation have been released, while two youngsters, ages seven and ten, were reported to be in stable condition, reports Breaking News.
After the fire, a 21-year-old male was taken into custody on suspicion of arson.
Bobby Singleton stated that the PSNI is deeply proud of the courage of their colleagues who participated in the rescue and that their sympathies are with the families.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday at PSNI headquarters in east Belfast, Mr. Singleton expressed his delight in his colleagues and stated that he thinks the people in the home may have perished if it weren’t for the “brave and courageous actions of these police officers,” reports Breaking News.
Mr. Singleton said that they are currently keeping an open mind when asked what the police think to be the cause of the occurrence.
“Our officers obtained two ladders from neighbouring properties and were able to rescue an unresponsive 70-year-old woman and a young child from the rear of the property,” he said, reports Breaking News.
“A number of the officers then very bravely entered the house and brought the second child and a 37-year-old to safety. The adults remain in a critical condition in hospital whilst the children, thankfully, as we understand it, are presently in a stable condition. We can confirm that this fire was started deliberately. It’s hard to comprehend that mindless cruelty of the kind of this act, and the panic and fear it caused to those in the home, is absolutely unimaginable,” reports Breaking News.
He explained how the first emergency personnel to reach the site at Cunninghams Lane were police, who discovered a house completely ablaze before taking action to save the occupants.
According to Mr. Singleton, eight members of the Dungannon local police force—two sergeants and six constables—were also hospitalised following the fire, reports Breaking News.
“I’m extremely thankful that our colleagues were released in the early hours of this morning following treatment, and although they’re still suffering from the effects from smoke inhalation and will be absent from work for a period of time, they are thankfully, all OK,” he said, reports Breaking News.
“We’re extremely proud of what our officers did at the scene last night and we want to put that on the record. At a time when we’re advertising police recruitment for new officers, their actions serve as a very powerful demonstration of what policing here is all about,” reports Breaking News.
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