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21/05/2007
Man remanded over pub arson
A 20-year-old man has been remanded on custody charged with arson with intent to endanger life following a blaze at a bar in County Down.
Craig Woodcroft, 20, from Bramley Apple Pottery in Craigavon is accused of setting fire to the Plough Bar and Restaurant in Hillsborough.
Fifteen people escaped from the bar after a smoke alarm went off at 1:30am in the early hours of Saturday morning.
50 firefighters were called to the scene and spent two-and-a-half hours bringing the fire under control.
Woodcroft is also accused of breaking into and burgling the property, tampering with a vehicle, burning a bin belonging to Lisburn Borough Council and destroying a heating tank.
It is estimated the repairs will cost up to £1.5 million.
Station Officer Martin McDonald said: “In one part of the building we had a total roof collapse and it damaged the floors below with the weight of the debris and the material.
“Had it been an hour earlier there could have been an awful lot more people inside the premises and maybe some people who had been drinking may not have reacted as quickly.”
Approximately half the terrace building was destroyed, with the remainder suffering smoke damage.
Station Officer McDonald added: "When we arrived, seven minutes after receiving the call, high winds hampered firefighters and we had great difficulty preventing the fire from spreading."
(JM/KMcA)
Craig Woodcroft, 20, from Bramley Apple Pottery in Craigavon is accused of setting fire to the Plough Bar and Restaurant in Hillsborough.
Fifteen people escaped from the bar after a smoke alarm went off at 1:30am in the early hours of Saturday morning.
50 firefighters were called to the scene and spent two-and-a-half hours bringing the fire under control.
Woodcroft is also accused of breaking into and burgling the property, tampering with a vehicle, burning a bin belonging to Lisburn Borough Council and destroying a heating tank.
It is estimated the repairs will cost up to £1.5 million.
Station Officer Martin McDonald said: “In one part of the building we had a total roof collapse and it damaged the floors below with the weight of the debris and the material.
“Had it been an hour earlier there could have been an awful lot more people inside the premises and maybe some people who had been drinking may not have reacted as quickly.”
Approximately half the terrace building was destroyed, with the remainder suffering smoke damage.
Station Officer McDonald added: "When we arrived, seven minutes after receiving the call, high winds hampered firefighters and we had great difficulty preventing the fire from spreading."
(JM/KMcA)
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