Ireland Case No. 4200Arson (petrol bombing) · Co. Dublin · 31 Dec 2025
Four victims of Finglas petrol bombing discharged from hospital
In the early hours of 31 December 2025, a petrol bomb was thrown into a three-storey house on Creston Avenue, Meakstown, Finglas, Dublin 11, injuring five occupants: a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s, and three teenagers (two girls and a boy). Gardaí are treating the attack as arson, and they believe the wrong house was targeted in an attack meant for a man suspected of involvement in organised crime. The attacker is not named and no arrest or charge has been reported. On 2 January, four of the five injured were discharged, while the woman in her 40s remained in hospital in a stable condition with serious injuries, and Gardaí were appealing for witnesses and CCTV footage.
- Reported31 Dec
7 reports - Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- Where
- The house is a three-storey semi-detached property on Creston Avenue, Meakstown, Finglas, Dublin 11.
- When
- The fire began at about 12.45am on 31 December 2025, though some reports say the attack was just before 1am.
- What happened
- Five occupants were injured: a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s, and three teenagers, two girls and a boy.
- The woman in her 40s and the boy suffered serious injuries, and the other three had non-life-threatening injuries.
- Six fire engines, a turntable ladder, a foam tender and more than 25 firefighters attended, and one person was rescued using breathing apparatus.
- Six ambulances from Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service attended the scene.
- Weapon
- A petrol bomb was thrown into the house, and the house was largely destroyed in the blaze.
- Cause
- Gardaí believe the wrong property was targeted in an attack intended for a man in Finglas suspected of involvement in organised crime.
- This was the second mistaken-identity attack on the same family, after a car was deliberately rammed into the house earlier.
- Investigation
- Gardaí are appealing for witnesses and CCTV or video footage from the Creston Avenue area between midnight and 1am.
- Gardaí believe gangs are using young boys to carry out such attacks, and their inexperience has led to wrong addresses being targeted.
- Charges
- No arrests or charges have been reported in connection with the attack.
- Other details
- The Irish Times describes this as the third arson attack linked to organised crime intimidation causing serious injury or loss of life in under two months.
- As of 2 January, four of the five injured had been discharged and the woman in her 40s remained in hospital in a stable condition.
88 statements extracted from the articles
- whatFive people were transported to hospital for treatment. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe victims include a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s, and three teenagers (two girls and one boy). (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe woman in her 40s and a teenage boy have serious injuries. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe other three individuals' injuries are non-life-threatening. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatOne individual was rescued from the property by firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatSix fire engines, including a turntable ladder and a foam tender, were dispatched. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatOver 25 firefighters were engaged in combating the fire. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatSix ambulances from Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service attended. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatGardaí are treating the incident as an arson attack. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatFive occupants were in the semi-detached house when it was attacked just before 1am (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe occupants were a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s, and three juvenile teenagers (two female, one male) (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe woman in her 40s and the male juvenile suffered serious injuries (dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe three other victims had non-life-threatening injuries (dublinlive.ie)
- whatOne person was rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and treated at the scene (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe house was gutted in the blaze (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe three other individuals had non-life-threatening injuries (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMore than 25 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOne person was rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus (irishmirror.ie)
- whatSix ambulances from DFB and the National Ambulance Service attended (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe petrol bombing was a botched attack intended for a man in the Finglas area suspected of involvement in organised crime. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe wrong property was targeted and an innocent family's home was gutted. (irishtimes.com)
- whatFive people were injured: a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s, and three teenagers (two girls and one boy). (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe house was a large three-storey property with hundreds of thousands of euro in damage. (irishtimes.com)
- whatBloodstains were visible on the street outside as occupants injured themselves escaping through broken glass. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOne woman was trapped inside and had to be rescued by firefighters. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe injuries to the female in her 40s and the male juvenile are described as serious; the other three are non-life-threatening. (irishtimes.com)
- whatSix ambulances from Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service attended the scene. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOne person was rescued by firefighters in breathing apparatus and treated at the scene. (irishtimes.com)
- whatGardaí believe gangs are using young boys to carry out the violence, and their inexperience has led to wrong addresses being targeted. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThis was the third arson attack causing serious injury or loss of life linked to organised crime intimidation in less than two months. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe Edenderry firebombing on 6 December killed Tadgh Farrell (4) and his grand-aunt Mary Hoult (60). (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman was set on fire at her home in Clondalkin on 25 November after being sprayed with an accelerant. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe attacker got the wrong house because he did not know the geography of the area. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe attack was organised from another part of the city. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe attacker was sent to target a house by gangsters connected to criminals in Drogheda, Co Louth. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOne line of inquiry suggests the petrol bomber is a criminal from the Ballymun area of Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatFive people were injured: three teenagers and two women. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe house was gutted in the attack. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatFour people escaped through a window and firefighters rescued one victim using breathing apparatus. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe intended target was a man with links to the Maguire gang in Drogheda. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe Maguire gang has been in a feud with the Boylan outfit, which has left four people dead. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatInvestigators are sceptical the Boylan mob was involved and suspect a link to a more minor dispute connected to elements of the Maguire gang. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGardaí are investigating a possible link to an attempted ramming of a man in Finglas in recent weeks. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThere may also be a link to an incident in Co Meath earlier this year when a man was chased through a street and sought shelter in a Garda station. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatSix fire engines were dispatched, including a turntable ladder and a foam tender, with more than 25 firefighters involved. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatIt was the second time the arsonists mistakenly targeted the wrong house. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA car was previously deliberately rammed into the same house as the first mistaken identity attack. (irishtimes.com)
- whatFive people were trapped inside: two women in their 40s and 20s, and three children – a boy and two girls. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe youngest child escaped and raised the alarm. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe other family members were rescued by neighbours and firefighters. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe eldest woman and the boy were left in serious condition in hospital. (irishtimes.com)
- whatFour of the five people injured in the petrol bombing have been discharged from hospital. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMuch of the three-storey house was destroyed in the blaze. (irishtimes.com)
- whatFive people were injured: two women and three teenagers. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman in her 40s remains in hospital being treated for serious injuries in a stable condition. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman in her 20s and three teenagers (two girls and one boy) were discharged and are continuing to receive medical attention. (irishtimes.com)
- whatBloodstains were visible on the street outside as occupants injured themselves trying to escape. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOccupants were cut on broken glass as they jumped from windows smashed by local people who aided their rescue. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOne child ran to safety and alerted neighbours that her siblings and mother were trapped inside by the flames. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOne woman was trapped inside the house and had to be rescued by firefighters. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe fire was at a house off Creston Avenue in Finglas, Dublin 11. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe house was on Creston Avenue, Finglas, north Dublin (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe house is on Creston Avenue, Finglas. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe seriously ill woman in her 40s is in James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe seriously injured teenager is being treated at Temple Street Hospital for children. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe property is a three-storey house on Creston Avenue, Meakstown, Finglas. (irishtimes.com)
- whenDublin Fire Brigade was alerted at 12.40am to the fire. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe blaze was extinguished in the early morning hours and the scene was handed to Gardaí at 4am. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe alarm was raised at 12.45am (dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whenDublin Fire Brigade was called at 12.40am to reports of a well-developed fire (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe attack occurred just before 1am on 31 December 2025 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenDublin Fire Brigade was called at 12.40am (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe petrol bomb was thrown at about 12.45am on Wednesday (New Year's Eve). (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe fire began at about 12.45am on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí are appealing for information and video footage from between midnight and 1am on 31 December. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí suspect the gang targeted the wrong property (dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationSix fire engines were dispatched including a turntable ladder and a foam tender (dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationFirefighters from Finglas, Phibsborough, Blanchardstown and Tara Street stations attended with around 25 personnel (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe scene was sealed off and a full investigation is underway (dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí are appealing for witnesses and video footage from between midnight and 1am (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí are hopeful that CCTV footage from local houses and businesses captured the attackers. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí are reviewing other violent incidents including broken windows, an assault and a car ramming in Finglas as part of the same campaign of violence. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí are appealing for witnesses and CCTV footage from the Creston Avenue area between midnight and 1am on December 31st. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí are hopeful that CCTV footage from local houses and nearby businesses captured the attackers. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe intended target has been targeted by a Dublin crime gang in recent months as part of a feud. (irishtimes.com)
- otherDet Chief Supt Seamus Boland, head of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, said combating the violence was now a key priority for the Garda. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGardaí believe gangs behind petrol bombings and intimidatory attacks are using young boys to carry out the violence. (irishtimes.com)
- otherDue to inexperience, the boys have at times targeted the wrong addresses or caused more extensive damage than intended. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 2 Jan2026Four victims of Finglas petrol bombing discharged from hospital
Hospital update: four of five injured occupants discharged; one woman in her 40s remains in hospital with serious but stable injuries. Gardaí confirm the attack was a botched targeted arson linked to organised crime and are appealing for CCTV from the Creston Avenue area.
victim, 40s, femalevictim, 20s, femalevictim, teen, femalevictim, teen, femalevictim, teen, male - 2 Jan2026Petrol bombing of Dublin home was second mistaken identity attack on same family
Confirms the petrol bombing was a second mistaken identity attack; a car was previously rammed into the same house. Identifies the intended target as linked to gangland criminals in Co Louth and targeted by a Dublin crime gang in a feud. Gardaí reviewing other incidents (broken windows, assault, car ramming) as part of a campaign of violence over the past year.
victim, 40s, femalevictim, 20s, femalevictim, malevictim, femalevictim, female - 1 Jan2026Thug behind Finglas arson attack 'got wrong house as he did not know the area'
Adds details on the suspected attacker (a criminal from Ballymun), the intended target (a man with links to the Maguire gang in Drogheda), the Maguire-Boylan gang feud context, and possible links to an attempted ramming in Finglas and an incident in Co Meath.
suspect, malevictim, 40s, femalevictim, teensvictim, teensvictim, teensvictim, female - 1 Jan2026Gardaí believe wrong house attacked in Finglas petrol bombing that injured five
Confirms Gardaí believe the wrong house was targeted and the intended target was a man in the Finglas area suspected of organised crime involvement. Provides detail on injuries (female in 40s and male juvenile serious; three others non-life-threatening), the rescue by local people and firefighters, hospital destinations, and contextualises the attack as the third organised crime-linked arson in under two months.
victim, 40s, femalevictim, 20s, femalevictim, teens, femalevictim, teens, femalevictim, teens, male - 1 Jan2026Gardaí suspect New Year's Eve arson attack gang targeted 'wrong house'
Adds the 'wrong house' theory from a source, confirms the five occupants' descriptions (woman in 40s, woman in 20s, three juvenile teenagers), specifies that the woman in her 40s and the male juvenile suffered serious injuries while the other three had non-life-threatening injuries, and provides fire service response details including six fire engines, 25+ firefighters and six ambulances.
victim, 40s, femalevictim, 20s, femalevictim, teenager, malevictim, teenager, femalevictim, teenager, female - 1 Jan2026Gang behind Dublin arson attack believed to have targeted wrong property
New information that Gardaí suspect the gang targeted the wrong property; details on the five occupants and their injuries; fire service response details including six engines and 25 personnel.
victim, 40s, femalevictim, 20s, femalevictim, teens, malevictim, teens, femalevictim, teens, female - 31 Dec2025Dramatic scenes as Dublin arson attack leaves 5 hospitalised including teenagers
Initial report of the arson attack providing details on the five hospitalised victims, the fire response (six engines, 25+ firefighters, six ambulances), and Gardaí's appeal for witnesses and footage from between midnight and 1am.
victim, 40s, femalevictim, 20s, femalevictim, teen, femalevictim, teen, femalevictim, teen, male