A DUBLIN chip shop was set alight in a terrifying attack that saw a masked thug launch a firebomb straight over the front counter.
The incident unfolded at Zia’s takeaway on St Peter’s Road in the capital’s Walkinstown area last week.
Capture on CCTV, chaos erupted among customers and staff alike as the perpetrator struck in a hit-and-run attack that left the shop ablaze.
Video footage shows several customers standing around in the front area of the shop waiting for their orders, whilst two staff are visible, manning the counter.
Suddenly, a bloke dressed in all black and wearing a hat and mask bursts through the door of the shop, brandishing an improvised petrol bomb in his right hand.
He wastes no time and launches the flaming bottle straight over the head of a female staff member on the till and into the back of the establishment.
The shop glows orange for a moment as the bottle containing the flammable liquid hits its target, spreading fire throughout the rear of the takeaway.
The man darts off again, making his escape as panic unfolds amongst the staff and customers, who forget about their dinner and instead make a break for it out the shop door.
The two staff members panic for a moment and appear to consult one another before the female worker, previously shaken up, grabs a fire extinguisher to tackle the blaze herself.
The brave employee then lets loose on the inferno with the extinguisher as her colleague disappears off the screen and dark, thick smoke fills the scene.
The video was posted to social media yesterday where it has since received over 720 likes and more than 80 comments from stunned users.
One person wrote: “That local woman behind the counter is Rambo. Ducks a petrol bomb and uses her fire safety knowledge to end what could’ve been a horrendous event.
“No water. Hope she’s proud, what a legend.”
Another asked: “What’s with people Molotoving takeaways?”
A third commented: “That woman could have been seriously injured.”
Another joked: “Chips can’t be that bad surely.”
A fifth said: “Attempted murder with five people in the property, dirt bag. Hope that piece of s**t is caught and given a lengthy sentence.”
A Garda spokesperson today, said: “Gardaí are investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred at a shop in Walkinstown, Co. Dublin on the 19 March 2024 at approximately 8pm.
“No injuries have been reported at this time and no arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing.”
