Homes evacuated after Belfast factory blaze

More than 100 people were evacuated from their homes when a blaze broke out at a disused factory in the North overnight.

Residents were forced to flee around 30 properties in the early hours of the morning as firefighters tackled the blaze at Sidney Street West in north Belfast at around 1am.

Police said three houses near the factory sustained minor damage to windows and guttering but there were no report of injuries.

Evacuated residents were housed temporarily in the nearby Indian Community Centre in Clifton Street or at the homes of friends and relatives.

Eight fire crews dealt with the blaze and later managed to bring it under control.

Firefighters believed there was a risk of homes catching alight and of local people breathing in fumes. Other people in neighbouring streets were told to lock doors and firmly shut windows.

Some residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established.