NI homes evacuated as oil tank fire rages

Up to 20 homes were evacuated as an oil tank fire threatened to rage out of control in Northern Ireland tonight.

Although no one was injured, two dogs were killed when the blaze swept from garden to garden in a housing estate in Antrim town.

Thirty firefighters fought for hours to put out the flames, which forced a number of residents to seek alternate accommodation tonight because of the damage to their properties.

Station officer Gary Davison said his crews were faced with a major fire at the back of one of the homes when they were called to Brentwood Gardens.

He said: “A domestic oil tank was alight, and it spread from one house to another. A total of five premises were involved, four houses badly damaged and the garage of another property.”

With petroleum gas canisters stored in the garage, firemen decided they could take no chances, and ordered everyone out of the surrounding houses.

“In total, two cul-de-sacs, about 20 homes, were evacuated,” Mr Davison added. “We’re still trying to determine the cause of the fire, and it’s now under investigation.”

The two dogs who were being kept at the back of one of the gardens were unable to escape.

Mr Davison said their deaths emphasised how crucial it was for domestic oil tank to be kept in a closed-off compound.

“If oil does come out of the tank, it isn’t allowed to spread, and you don’t end up with a running fire like this.”