ARSONIST AT WORK
By Lesley Walsh
A SHADOWY figure on a black and white CCTV image is one of the biggest clues for PSNI detectives searching for the arsonist who caused £20,000 damage to a Newtownards restaurant.
The CCTV system at the Cloud 9 restaurant recorded images of the teenage boy police believe started the fire that gutted a large specialist tent in a blaze that was set in the early hours of Friday morning.
Bangor woman Joanne Brennan sunk close to £20,000 in the large tent at her Cloud 9 cafe beside the Ulster Flying Club, including tables and chairs, lighting and flooring, but it took just minutes for it all to go up in flames.
The proprietor said the fire starter was filmed arriving on an electric scooter carrying a can shortly before the flames took hold in the tent.
Police are now investigating the blaze which was started shortly before 2am and which was brought under control by one local fire appliance.
Mrs Brennan, who also owns The Regent Tea Room on Regent Street in the town, said she left Cloud 9 on Thursday, after shutting up shop for the day, only to be greeted with a large rectangular patch of scorched earth the next day where the tent stood.
“The first I heard about it was when my chef rang me at about 8am and asked ‘what happened to the tent’?” she said, revealing that when she arrived at the premises she was given CCTV showing the whole event on film.
“It shows someone arrive on the scooter, with a hood up over his head and carrying what looks like a jerry can. You see him going in and coming out again and going back in, just sauntering in and taking his time, then he set it on fire.”
Mrs Brennan said the arsonist was on the Portaferry Road premises for between 15 and 20 minutes before getting back on his scooter, leaving the trail of destruction behind.
She bought the tent for £7000 during the Covid pandemic, when lockdown restrictions began to ease to allow social distancing at eateries outdoors.
“It was fully enclosed with a plastic front so you could see the view and it had a nice wooden floor which we later covered with faux grass.
“We had children’s parties in it and had one planned for Saturday past and another one planned for this Saturday coming. We had it booked for a 60th birthday party too on Saturday evening.”
“But the saving grace is that no one was hurt and the building hasn’t been damaged in any way but if the wind had been blowing the wrong way it could have been a different story.”
Mrs Brennan, who has been running Cloud 9 for 11 years, said it would be a big loss to the business.
“I’ve spent about £20,000 on it with the furniture, about 15 tables and everything else and the man I got it off said I could have another one up to Christmas, no charge,” she said, but admitted she’s ‘too afraid’ for the moment to reinstate the tent.
“I’ll leave it for now, until I hear what the police say.”
The Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the blaze was extinguished by 2.20am and the cause is ‘believed to have been deliberate ignition’.
Police investigating the incident confirmed they are treating it as deliberate.
“Extensive damage was caused and we are treating this report as deliberate ignition – with enquiries underway,” said a spokesman.
“We are especially keen to hear from anyone who observed a teenage boy on an e-scooter in the area prior to the fire.”
Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 84 13/09/24. A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/
People can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
