The family are living in emergency accommodation after the arson attack on New Year's Eve
Cathal Ryan Reporter
15:56, 09 Jan 2026
A fundraiser launched for a family left devastated following an arson attack that destroyed their Dublin home has seen an outpouring of support from the local community.
23-year-old DCU Master’s student Amanda Uwase was left devastated after a horrific arson attack on New Year’s Eve left her family home "totally destroyed", leaving the family in emergency accommodation while her mother recovers from injuries sustained in the senseless attack.
Brave Amanda told RTÉ she was watching television when a petrol bomb was thrown into the apartment. In a scramble she ran to the second floor where she helped her siblings to jump out of a window onto a mattress below.
"I was in the sitting room with my sister, we were watching a show, I came to the kitchen, I seen that a petrol bomb was thrown in, then I ran out and when I ran back in, I went up the stairs to this floor, the second floor and I find that all my siblings are in my room and so we jump out of that window and we managed to land here where a mattress, my neighbours had put a mattress for us to land on."
Her mother, a carer who had just finished a 12-hour shift, was on the third floor and was assisted by members of the fire brigade. Sadly she suffered serious injuries and spent time in ICU but is still in a lot of pain.
She added: "And then my mother was still in the house on the third floor where the fire brigade rescued her moments later.”
"She's suffered the most," Amanda continued. "She's been in ICU now for nearly a week. She was just released into the ward but she is still in a lot of pain and a lot of medication."
Describing the scene, Amanda shared the "horrendous" damage caused to their family home, and how it is "totally destroyed".
"It's horrible, the kitchen’s gone, sitting room’s gone, it's horrendous. I sat there on the stairs and I just couldn't imagine a week ago I sat in this house and it was fine and now it's totally destroyed."
The family are now staying in emergency accommodation, and Amanda has said the family are emotionally traumatized following the arson attack, telling how she does not know how this happened to her family.
She said: "In terms of impact, first of all we don't have a home, we're currently in emergency accommodation, financially my dad is having to use all his savings to buy us food every single day, takeaway, because we're not able to cook.
"Emotionally, we're all traumatised. Everything's completely gone, we are very much peaceful people, we try and help people, we're all in college, I’m in university, we try our best to mind our business, help people when we can, so I don't know why this happened to us."
A fundraiser has been launched following the horrific attack, which has raised over €64,000. To donate to the fundraiser, click here.
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