Michael Bolton
Updated at 18:44
The Minister for Justice said those who set fire to a former pub in Ringsend "will be brought to justice".
Helen McEntee says the blaze in Ringsend in Dublin shortly before 2am was the result of a deliberate act, which has not yet been established.
In a statement released this evening, she said "Arson is a very serious crime which carries heavy prison sentences," after it broke out in a disused pub on Thorncastle Street, that was to be used to house homeless families.
She says no one has the right to cause damage to property, to cause fear or to threaten public order.
It's being investigated by gardaí and she's encouraging anyone with information to contact them.
As the Irish Examiner reports, the fire broke out at the building, a former pub, in Ringsend, Dublin, before 2am this morning.
Earlier this month, anti-immigrant protests were held at the building in response to false claims that it was to accommodate asylum seekers.
Persistent false rumours had been spread by anti-immigration activists that the building would house asylum seekers and some social media accounts had called for the building to be set on fire.
But the building had actually been taken over by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) for accommodating homeless families.
No one was injured in the fire, and the scene has been preserved for a forensic examination.
It is believed the pub and guesthouse was being considered for emergency accommodation for homeless families.
According to the Irish Times, The International Protection Accommodation Service and Department of Integration said earlier this month that they had “not received any proposal for this property and therefore has neither considered nor examined this property for use”.
A former hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway was destroyed in a suspected arson attack after been acquired for asylum seeker accommodation.
Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.
Overnight, firefighters were called to a vacant premises on fire in #Ringsend
6️⃣ Fire engines attended including a turntable ladder to fight the fire from above
💨 Smoke drifted across the area
Thanks to @DubCityCouncil who increased the water supply to the fireground pic.twitter.com/NgswSP6jhG— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) December 31, 2023
