Two men have been arrested over the Halloween arson attack on the IPAS centre in George’s Street, Drogheda. One was arrested on Wednesday night, and the other this morning (Thursday). It is understood both suspects are aged in their twenties. One is being held under the Criminal Damage Act 1991, while the other is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. They are both being held in Garda stations in County Louth.
Five people had a lucky escape in the blaze – one adult and four children, including a baby had to be rescued from the top floor by firefighters. A total of 28 people had been staying at the centre at the time of the blaze. They have now been moved to alternative accommodation. Gardai are treating the incident as a deliberate arson attack. The breakthrough in the investigation came with the help of CVTV, footage seized from houses in the locality.
