Gardaí are seeking the public’s help with their investigation of a foiled arson attempt on a petrol station. The incident occurred at the Tria Express petrol station in Blarney, Co Cork, just before 7am this morning. An arsonist, who arrived by bike, set a fire under fuel pump hoses on the station forecourt, which burned for almost 17 minutes. There was an estimated 30,000 litres of diesel stored in underground tanks at the filling station, and a source yesterday said that a “catastrophic” explosion would have destroyed the filling station and a nearby church and houses. CCTV footage shows the suspected arsonist cycling past the filling station at 6.52am from the Tower direction, heading towards Blarney village square.

Source: Irish Examiner January 06, 2019 20:28 UTC