Next-door blaze forces mum and baby to flee

A mother and her 17-month-old baby were forced to flee from their home after a house next door in an unfinished section of an estate in Slane was set on fire by vandals and gutted.

The aftermath of the blaze at the Ledwidge Hall estate has left local residents angry over the failure to have the unfinished housing made secure, and they have renewed their calls for action to Meath County Council.

The fire broke out at night and the residents’ association said the consequences could have been much more serious. The woman and her baby were evacuated from their home at the height of the blaze.

The residents say they have made many complaints about the state of this section of their estate and claim that fire personnel had difficulty accessing the site of the blaze on Tuesday of last week.

A strongly-worded letter has gone to Meath County Council asking it to take immediate action to ensure the estate is safe.

The six councillors for the area, along with other council officials and three Meath East TDs, have also been contacted over the fire and its outcome.

Gareth Yore, who lives on the estate, said that 35 houses had been completed on the estate but others had been left unfinished and that part of the estate was now “in limbo”. He said the fire threatened to engulf other houses.