Ryanair says wheelie bins were set alight outside staff homes in Swords, Dublin

Ryanair says wheelie bins were set on fire outside homes rented by its staff in Swords, Co Dublin, in the early hours of June 23.

The airline described the incident as a criminal attack and said it reported the matter to gardaí. It said it is assisting with the investigation and has offered extra security and alternative accommodation for employees affected by the fires.

According to the reporting, the properties were occupied by workers from Ryanair's inflight, engineering and head-office teams. No employees were injured, and damage was described as limited to burns on the front doors.

What happened

Dublin Fire Brigade received the first call at 3:36 a.m. and brought the fire under control at 4:14 a.m., according to the report.

The article said wheelie bins were placed immediately outside the doors of seven rental properties, and that four houses were affected by smoke and/or fire.

A couple living in one of the affected homes described the experience as very scary.

Investigation

The cause of the fires has not yet been formally confirmed in public by gardaí. The incident is being treated as an alleged arson attack in the reporting, but no suspect or motive has been identified.

Ryanair said the homes were used to house staff working in different parts of the company and that it was helping investigators after the fire.

The case raises both workplace-security and community-safety concerns because the properties housed employees rather than a company site.

Authorities have not said whether there have been any arrests or whether the damage extended beyond the front doors of the homes.