Trapped residents rescued after motorbike set on fire in block of flats

Seven people have been rescued from a flat complex after a motorbike was set on fire in a hallway.

Residents of the two-storey block in the Ardoyne Road in Belfast were trapped in their homes due to smoke, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said.

The fire was reported at about 5.20am this morning.

The residents had to be taken out by firefighters using ladders and breathing apparatus, while other crews fought the blaze.

A number of people were treated for smoke inhalation and the communal hall and doors of flats were damaged in the fire.

A NIFRS spokesman said: "The occupants were alerted early, by smoke alarms actuating in the hallway.

"NIFRS control staff reassured callers and provided lifesaving advice to those trapped until fire crews arrived on scene."

PA