A Co Tyrone couple have told of their pain after their home was destroyed in an ‘arson attack’ just months after a heartbreaking miscarriage.
Tina Horvathova, 38, and Laco Horvath, 50, had been trying for a baby for 14 years.
Needless to say, they were “so happy” when Tina became pregnant this year.
The couple, who are from Slovakia but have been living in Dungannon for over a decade, were set to start a family.
But after years of hoping, the unimaginable happened.
Tina said: “In the March, I lost my baby. It was six days after my birthday.
“Fourteen years we have tried to have a baby, and this was our miracle. I was really happy.
“But I was nine weeks, and I lost my baby. It was really hard.”
The couple were naturally devastated, but tried to move on from what had happened.
They booked a weekend away with friends in Donegal Beach, where they were due to stay for a couple of nights.
But on Saturday, July 17, they answered a phone call they never expected to receive.
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Tina said: “We were on the beach and after 4.30pm, my neighbour called me and she was really shaken and nervous.
“She said: ‘Tina, your house is burning’.
“I started shaking. In this moment, it was everything.
“We got home at 7 o’clock, and we just saw from the car how our house was looking.”
Police are treating the incident as ‘arson with intent to endanger life’
(Image: Tina Horvathova)
The couple were immediately met by police, who explained what had happened.
Burglars had broken in through the garden, Tina said, and had stolen their clothes and TV before setting the house on fire.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used one hose to extinguish the fire, and the incident was dealt with by 5.40pm, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service confirmed.
“The cause of the fire is believed to be deliberate,” the fire service statement said.
Police were made aware of the fire just after 4.30pm, and also rushed to the scene.
In a statement released after the incident, Detective Constable Paul Taggart said: “We are treating this as arson with intent to endanger life.”
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PSNI began investigating the fire as the first of two separate arson attacks in the Dungannon area that month – though detectives said they are not believed to be connected.
Regardless, the impact the fire has had on Tina and Laco has been detrimental.
The fire has forced Tina and Laco out of their home
(Image: Tina Horvathova)
Speaking of the house where the couple had lived for eleven years, Tina said: “It was really damaged. There was smoke everywhere.
“It’s made a lot of problems for me and my husband.”
Tina and Laco can no longer live in their home because of the damage caused by the fire.
Friends have looked after what clothes they had left, and offered places for them to stay while they find their feet.
A charity arranged for the couple to stay in a hotel for several nights. The couple were offered a house in Belfast or Derry, but Tina and Laco could not risk leaving their jobs in Dungannon.
Even after everything that has happened, Tina soon returned to work at a water company, and Laco to his job as a welder, to stay financially afloat.
The couple have now found a house to rent, but this is just the start of rebuilding their home.
The community has pulled together to try and help the couple replace their belongings
(Image: Tina Horvathova)
Despite their horrific ordeals this year, Tina said: “We are alive, this is more important.
“I always say if I had still been pregnant, what would have happened after?”
She could not thank the community enough for helping the couple through their difficulties – “both Irish and international people,” she said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by friends in the community to help Tina and Laco rebuild their lives again.
Police have asked anyone with information, or who noticed any suspicious activity at the property from around 1pm on Saturday, July 17, to contact them on 101 quoting reference number 1494 of the 17/07/21.
A report can also be made using the online reporting form.
Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
Tina particularly wanted to thank Denisa, Zuzana, Lenka, Sona, John, Patrick, Monika, Dita, Lisa, Anna, Roland, Francezska, Zuzka, Paul, Nuala, Stano, Duro, Lubo, Lorraine and the people who have donated to the GoFundMe.
“It’s big help to start again,” she said, “Thank you.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe page here.
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