Six rescued from NI flats blaze

Six people were rescued after a suspected arson attack on a block of flats today.

All of them, including a Chinese family, were trapped in the three-storey building on Eglantine Avenue in south Belfast.

Fire crews discovered the victims on window ledges screaming for help as thick smoke engulfed the building, split into six flats.

Ladders were used to bring the family of four and another man down to safety.

As the intensity of the blaze eased, crew members were able to get a woman out by the staircase.

All of them needed treatment for shock and slight smoke inhalation.

The fire is believed to have started on a mattress dumped in a ground-floor escape corridor.

Bundles of papers had been put on top of it, according to watch commander Ashley Jeffries.

He confirmed the Fire and Rescue Service was treating it as suspicious.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and scenes of crime officers were called to the scene.

Mr Jeffries said: “When we arrived, the front door was wide open.

“It looks like whoever has made an attempt has possibly just walked in, set it alight and obviously made good their escape.

“But this will be obviously confirmed by forensics with the PSNI.”

Smoke alarms fitted in the building sounded to raise the alarm just after 2am, the fire chief added.

“Without the provision of an early warning system, we could be talking about a tragedy this morning,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.