Blaze at fuel depot

An investigation was being mounted today to discover the cause of a major fire at a fuel depot.

Firefighters worked through the night to bring the blaze at the Hayes Depot at Ligoneil, in the north of Belfast, under control.

At the height of the blaze, 60 firefighters with 12 appliances, including specialist equipment brought in from various parts of the North, tackled the fire.

Thick plumes of black smoke could be seen for miles around soon after the fire began at around 7.30pm last night.

Martin Cassidy, Fire and Rescue Service assistant group commander for north Belfast, said: “This was a very complex fire-fighting operation.

"We had at the height of the blaze in the region of 25,000 to 30,000 litres of kerosene fuel involved, as well as other fossil fuels, including coal and peat briquettes.

“Our main concern, as well as containing the existing fire, was preventing the spread of the fire to other large fuel containers on the site.”

Mr Cassidy said it was too early to say what caused the fire and fire service and police experts will examine the scene during the day.

Meanwhile, police were treating a fire at the Whiterock Leisure Centre in west Belfast as arson.

A number of cylinders at the rear of the building were set on fire. The outside of the building was damaged but the interior is believed to have escaped serious damage.