Police probe house fires

The fire was started in an oil tank

Several people have escaped injury after an arson attack on a family home in Tyrone and house fire which is being treated as suspicious in Londonderry.

The Tyrone family were forced to flee from the house at Sion Mills just minutes before an oil tank exploded into a fire ball.

Declan Lynch, his wife and two-year-old son were alerted to the oil tank fire through a telephone call from a neighbour.

She had noticed suspicious activity at the back of a bungalow in Glebe Park in the early hours of Tuesday.

Declan Lynch: No idea why targeted

Mr Lynch, a mechanic, said: "If we had not been alerted by a neighbour, there was possibly one and maybe three deaths in the house.

"Five minutes later and we were dead, there's no doubt about that. They tried to kill me and my wife and child."

Eight surrounding houses were evacuated as thick smoke engulfed the cul-de-sac.

Four people, including two elderly women, were slightly injured in the incident.

Mr Lynch said they had no idea why they had been targeted.

He said nothing from the house could be salvaged.

"It's a mess.. we'll have to throw everything on to the skip and start again.

The car tyres were also slashed

Tyres on Mr Lynch's car were also slashed in the incident. The RUC are investigating a motive for the attack, but do not believe it was sectarian.

Meanwhile, police are treating as suspicious a fire which caused extensive damage to a house in Eglinton, near Londonderry on Monday night.

Fire officers said the four occupants were woken by a 13-year-old girl who heard a smoke detector and raised the alarm.

It is understood the fire began in a car which was parked outside the house.

Slight damage was caused to a second property next door.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.