A security review of all IPAS centres will take place speedily in the wake of an arson attack on a facility in Drogheda, the Minister of State for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has said.
Four children, including a baby, were among five people rescued from the top floor of a building housing International Protection applicants on Friday night.
Speaking on RTÉ's This Week programme, Colm Brophy said that safety must be the utmost concern and all centres will be reviewed as soon as possible.
Mr Brophy said it was a "truly shocking crime" and the video he had seen was "truly shocking" and the placing of accelerant on a stairway would have serious implications for people trying to escape.
Images obtained by The Sunday Times show the fire being started in the centre's hallway.
Earlier, a woman who was living in the IPAS centre in Drogheda, where the fire was deliberately started, said her children are lucky to be alive.
The woman, who is from Ghana, said she is struggling to sleep as the incident replays in her mind.
In a statement, gardaí said: "Following initial reports of the fire being started by the discharge of fireworks, investigations by An Garda Síochána to date indicate that the fire was started deliberately by person or persons unknown.
"This was an extremely dangerous act endangering the lives of the residents, including children, who were in their home at the time."
It is understood that an accelerant was used to set the stairs in the building alight.
Speaking to RTÉ News, the woman said she was outside the building waiting for her children, aged eight and 12, to be rescued by the fire service.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"The children could have died," she said.
Becoming emotional, she said she does not know how somebody could have done this.
"How can somebody be so mean?" she asked.
The woman and her family are now in temporary accommodation, and she is unsure if her children will be going back to school tomorrow.
A number of people were brought to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, following Friday night's incident. It is understood none had serious injuries.
Authorities are making alternative arrangements for the 28 people left homeless by the arson attack.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said he had received the updated briefing from gardaí and that those responsible will be brought to justice.
Gardaí have appealed for any witnesses or anyone who was in the Georges Street area of Drogheda between 7.30pm and 8.20pm on Friday and who may have any information relating to this incident to contact Drogheda Garda Station on 041 9874200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
'He nearly killed us'
Local Fine Gael councillor Ejiro O'Hare said there were people from countries such as Ghana, Zimbabwe and Algeria living in the building.
Ms O'Hare, who is from Nigeria and who has lived in Drogheda for over 24 years, knows some of the residents well.
As assistant director of nursing at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, she went to visit some of those affected by the fire this weekend and brought them clothes.
"When I was talking to the two mothers, the children ran towards me and said 'auntie, is that individual going to be in prison?... he nearly killed us'," she said.
"I said to them 'you know what children? I always say justice will be done, and somebody deserves it, he will get what he deserves'," Ms O'Hare said.
She said the person or persons responsible do not represent the people of Drogheda.
Ms O'Hare said there was a woman with a 20-day-old baby, who had just been discharged from hospital following a caesarean section, who was caught up in the attack.
She said the same woman also has a 17-month-old and two older children.
"She only has two hands. She can't carry all four of them. And then you have two other children who were trapped, who their mother was outside watching the fire going on," Ms O’Hare said.
"The thing is that no matter how many people that were trapped in the fire, it shouldn't have happened," she added.
Ms O'Hare added the migrant community are scared and some have been recently confronted in the street.
"I was walking on the street and somebody said to my 10 years old child… I was holding her, and they said 'go back to your country. Why are you here?'," she said.
