Homes evacuated after factory blaze in the North

More than 60 people were forced to evacuate their homes for the night while firefighters battled a major blaze at a derelict factory in the North.

A daylight investigation of the scene at the old WJ Nelson premises off the Beersbridge Road in east Belfast was being carried out to discover the cause of the fire.

Fire crews from outside the city were brought in to help Belfast firefighters, who had previously spent much of the day dealing with a major blaze at the former Bass Ireland brewery in west Belfast.

A total of 10 crews tackled the blaze after residents in the area raised the alarm when their homes were engulfed in thick smoke shortly after 10.00pm.