A manhunt was under way on Tuesday night for the killer responsible for a horrific arson attack on an innocent family which left four people dead, including two children.
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which → leave → children
Two other children from the same family were on Tuesday night fighting for their lives following the suspected petrol bomb attack at the house outside Waterford city at around 5am on Tuesday morning.
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children → fight → morning
Parents Kim English, in her 30s, and Philip, in his 50s, and their two sons, Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, were killed when their home was set ablaze as they slept in a shocking incident which has left the community 'shattered'.
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which → kill → community
Two other children – Nadia, who has leukaemia, and her brother Elliot – were on Tuesday night clinging to life at Crumlin hospital in Dublin.
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who → have → Dublin
The family had previously spoken out about a campaign of intimidation against them for the last three years.
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family → speak → years
This included a paint attack on a family car.
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This → include → car
Gardaí have also investigated a previous attempted arson attack at the home less than a month ago.
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Gardaí → investigate → home
It is understood that Tuesday's deadly incident saw the attacker throw a petrol bomb at the front door of the house in the Birchwood estate, around three kilometres from Waterford city, just before 5am, setting the house ablaze, as the couple and their four children slept.
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couple → understand → house
One eyewitness to the aftermath explained how he was awoken by a 'huge crash' and then 'all I heard was screaming and crying' and people engulfed in flames.
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people → explain → flames
The young man described seeing things 'no human should have to see', adding that he had already received counselling in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
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he → describe → attack
He told the Irish Daily Mail: 'I saw people on fire.
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I → tell → fire
I heard screaming and shouting.
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I → hear → screaming
Kim and Philip English (pictured) died in the blaze on Tuesday night
Emergency services at the scene on Tuesday morning, after a fire claimed four lives
'
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fire → picture → lives
There was glass breaking and I just remember looking across the road and not believing what I was seeing.
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I → be → what
I saw things no human being should have to see and that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life.
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that → see → life
The screams are just stuck in my head.
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screams → stick → head
Every time I close my eyes I just see it again.
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I → close → it
I've already gone to counselling that they've set up in the local community centre.
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they → go → centre
I just don't know what else to say.'
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I → know → what
While gardaí are at the very early stages of their investigation, it is understood that there are several people of interest on whom they are gathering information.
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they → understand → information
This includes one man who is well known to gardaí for his involvement in the local drugs trade.
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who → include → trade
He is known as an 'enforcer' for one of the main drug gangs in the city.
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He → know → city
One avenue of investigation for gardaí is that the fire was set as a result of a five-figure drug debt.
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fire → set → debt
None of the people inside the house were responsible for this debt and were 'completely innocent', sources stressed to the Mail.
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sources → stress → Mail
Neighbours told the Mail of the harrowing scene they experienced in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
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they → tell → morning
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'I must have rang 999 ten times.
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I → want → 999
There was this huge smashing sound and then all I could hear was screams.
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I → be → ?
I knew there was children in there.
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I → know → ?
One of the neighbours there whose house is attached to the back of theirs [the victims] jumped over the wall and tried to get into the house to save them.
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house → attach → them
He couldn't get in in time.
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He → get → time
It was just all screaming and we couldn't do anything.'
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we → scream → anything
Speaking to WLR FM back in 2023, Kim and Philip had detailed their dismay after their car was targeted outside their home.
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car → speak → home
Kim and Philip had spoken about being the victims of a campaign of intimidation
At the time, Kim said she was 'disgusted'.
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she → speak → time
'I don't know how anyone could do this to anybody,' she said.
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she → know → anybody
'I have children, I need that car for the kids for school.
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I → have → school
I have appointments.
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I → have → appointments
Back then, the couple said paint had been thrown over the car between around 2.30am and 2.50am, and that 'nothing like this had ever happened before'.
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nothing → say → this
The most recent incident was the attempted firebombing of a black Seat car owned by the family about three weeks ago.
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incident → attempt → family
Gardaí investigated the arson attempt, which happened at about 2.20am on Friday, September 18.
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which → investigate → Friday
The family lived in the housing estate for several years and were 'well liked', according to local priest Fr Gerry Chestnutt, who had baptised all of the English children.
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who → live → children
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
