Seven dead in N. Ireland arson house fire
Police in Omagh, Northern Ireland, said arson was the cause of a Thursday house fire that killed a family of seven, including the prime suspect, the father.
"Our initial forensic examination of the home has established that there was a significant quantity of accelerant discovered in the property," Chief Superintendent Norman Baxter, head of the Police Service Of Northern Ireland's serious crime squad, said.
Arthur McElhill, 39, his partner Lorraine McGovern, 30, and five children ranging in age from 10 months to 13 years died in the fire that left only a roofless shell standing, the BBC reported.
Police refused to comment on neighbors' claims there had been an altercation in the house before the fire or claims police had been summoned there before for domestic disputes, the BBC said.
McElhill and McGovern were last seen alive screaming as he tried to break open an upstairs window, neighbors said.
One witness propped a ladder up to the window but was driven back by intense heat, the report said. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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