Full timeline of Waterford's Birchwood attack
Floral tributes placed at the house in Birchwood Estate. Photo: Joe Evans
- 3am: At No. 7 Birch Avenue in Birchwood Estate, Waterford, husband and wife Philip and Kim English are awoken by a disturbance outside their family home. Someone has approached their two-storey semi-detached property and thrown white paint across the bonnet of their parked car in the driveway
- 2:30am: A car outside the English household is targeted once again. This time, the stakes have been raised. It is a suspected petrol bomb attack
- 5:13am: A fire breaks out at the English home while the family of six are sleeping in their beds upstairs. Neighbours are awoken by the blaze, and the screams coming from within. They try to help, but can’t get close enough, the residence is engulfed. Gardaí, Waterford Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service arrive at the scene. Two surviving children are removed from the property and rushed to Crumlin Children's Hospital under Garda escort for treatment of critical injuries. Philip, Kim, and their two other children, Callum and Jayden, are dead
- 7am: The wider Waterford community wakes to an unprecedented day of confusion, fear and devastation. Word quickly spreads through the community of a serious fire that occurred in the city overnight, and that a petrol bomb may have been the cause. There are rumours of fatalities, although it has not yet been confirmed through official channels
- 8:15: A Support Hub at the Butler Community Centre is opened and shocked groupings of neighbours congregate in Birchwood, as further gardaí, elected representatives and national media begin to arrive at the estate
- 10:30am: In Dublin, Taoiseach Micheal Martin describes the incident as “deeply disturbing”
- 11am: An official Garda statement is circulated. It confirms to the public that two adults and two children are deceased. The circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire continue to be investigated. Parish priest Fr. Gerry Chestnutt and Bishop Alphonsus Cullinane arrive at Birchwood to grieve with neighbours and friends. The Mayor of Waterford issues a statement expressing his condolences
- 12:25pm: Gardaí confirm officially that an investigation into the deliberate killing of the English family has commenced. An incident room has been set up at Waterford Garda Station
- 2:15pm: A recovery vehicle removes a burnt car from the English residence
- 6pm: President Catherine Connolly issues a statement decrying the “appalling” attack
- 5:13am: It is now 24 hours since someone wielding a lit petrol bomb approached the front door of No. 7 Birch Avenue under the cover of darkness, unbeknownst to the English family who were asleep inside. The people responsible remain at large. Meanwhile, gardaí have been conducting raids in the city throughout the night. Phones, laptops and vehicles are seized
- 4pm: A balloon release takes place in the Birchwood Estate with the family of the deceased present for the emotional ceremony
- 5pm: Hundreds gather to grieve at a Vigil Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in the Folly. Fr Chestnutt urges the persons responsible to “admit what you did, and face the consequences”
- 7am: The community awakens to another day of uncertainty. While reliable updates from official sources remain scarce, Waterford is left to speculate. How could this tragedy happen? Who did it? Where are they?
- 9am: The cordon at Birch Avenue is scaled down and the full extent of the damage done to the residence comes into public view. The wooden fence of the property is draped in floral tributes. Dark, black scorch marks veil the façade of the house. A rain gutter above the front door appears warped and melted. Halloween decorations, which had been placed onto the front windows of the home by the family, can be seen. They are a symbol of the children’s youth. A symbol of their innocence
- 3pm: A major update in the murder investigation. A man in his twenties and a woman in her thirties have been arrested. Meanwhile, the two surviving English children remain critical in Crumlin and continue to receive specialist treatment. Post-mortem examinations on the four deceased victims have now been completed
- 12pm: Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly confirms that seven searches on properties have now taken place. He continues to be briefed hourly on the investigation
- 5pm: A special court sitting is held in Clonmel. The moment marks the beginning of what promises to be a long, difficult judicial journey
- 1pm: The English family are laid to rest
