Gardaí have launched a probe into a fire which was started on a building site in Letterkenny on Halloween night.
Significant damage was caused when a lorry was set alight and another damaged on a construction site on Long Lane which has been designated for social housing.
Fire services rushed to the scene in the early hours of Friday morning to bring the fire under control.
The scene has been sealed off by Gardaí who are investigating the criminal damage incident and conducting door-to-door enquiries.
The fire occurred in the Ard Ban site, where construction had just recently begun on the long-awaited 29-unit social housing scheme.
The cab of one lorry on the site was extensively damaged by fire and the window of another lorry was broken in.
Ard Ban, Long Lane, Letterkenny. Photo: Cllr Gerry McMonagle
Cllr Gerry McMonagle has branded the fire as a ‘despicable attack on the community’.
He said: “We have waited over three to four years for this site to open and for work to begin. Now, within a month we have this act of vandalism.
“It is not only an attack on the lorries but it is an attack on the community. We all know how badly these houses are needed in Letterkenny.
“People in the area are angry to see the work delayed. The contractor has lost a day’s work, workers lost a day’s work and we just want to see it up and running again to see the homes completed as soon as possible.”
The Ard Ban development has been estimated at €5million and will consist of 12 two-bed units, 14 three-bed units and two four-bed units.
Cllr McMonagle is urging the public to provide information to help gardaí with their investigations in the wake of the fire.
“If anyone saw anything I would strongly urge them to pass it on to the gardaí to get the people responsible brought to book. I would also call on the people responsible to think about their actions,” he said.
The incident is believed to have occurred between 1am and 2am on Friday 1st November. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station on (074) 916 7100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
