Gardaí in west Cork are following a definite line of inquiry into a spate of arson attacks in Bantry over a 24-hour period.
The fishing town became the target of arsonists this week, with the local Garda station the target of one such attack.
Six gas cylinders were discovered by gardaí on Wednesday, doused in petrol and stacked beside the temporary dwelling. The cylinders ignited but failed to explode after a valve was left open causing the gas to burn off.
A garda spotted the blaze and ran out of the station armed with two fire extinguishers, quenching the fire before alerting the emergency services.
Garda technical experts later discovered the arsonists had run a petrol trail from the stack of cylinders down the street and this was then lit, with the fire travelling back to the cylinders to ignite them.
"We were very lucky no one was injured. The six cylinders were all blazing away like six welders torches but thankfully they caused only minimal damage," a Garda source said.
The latest incident followed a similar one on Tuesday morning when four gas cylinders were put on board a €300,000-mussel barge, The Shellseeker.
Two gardaí noticed the fire at the quayside where the modern barge was moored, and managed to quench the burning fuse before it travelled back along a rope leading to the cylinders.
Gardaí immediately cordoned off the area and preserved the scene overnight for technical experts, who carried out a forensic examination of the device and the boat. The Shellseeker was undamaged.
Gardaí said home-made devices were also left outside the tourist office and office of the Harbour Master. No damage was caused in either incident but gardaí remain on heightened alert following fears the arsonists would hit another target.
A Garda spokesman said: "These are all very serious incidents, which fortunately haven't caused any injury or great damage, but we're very concerned. They're extremely worrying." A forensic examination of the cylinders was under way yesterday, with gardaí examining CCTV footage from various security cameras around the town.
Meanwhile, gardaí in Bantry and the Garda Press Office in Dublin were not prepared to comment yesterday on reports that a man in his late 20s had been detained under the Mental Treatment Act and transferred to Bantry hospital yesterday morning.
Anybody with information is asked to contact Bantry Garda station in strictest confidence on 027-20860.