Fire hits high-rise flats in Dunmurry, near Belfast

One person was rescued from a burning tower block and a number of residents were led to safety after a fire broke out at high-rise flats outside Belfast.

Firefighters were called to Coolmoyne House in Dunmurry at about 17:30 GMT as flames and smoke hit multiple floors.

On arrival, crews were faced with "a well-developed fire on the ninth floor" the NI Fire and Rescue Service said.

The flats were evacuated, and four people were treated by paramedics. The fire was extinguished by 18:10 GMT.

Lagan Valley Hospital said that two people - a man and a woman - were stable after being admitted following the fire.

Geoff Somerville, group commander with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters rescued a man from the flat in which the fire started.

He said they believed the fire was "accidental" and that the man "was making toast at the time".

"He had moved into his bedroom and then heard his smoke detectors operate in his flat and that alerted him to the fire," he said.

"I'm very relieved there's been no loss of life and that's only because of the courageous actions of our firefighters here today."

Tower block residents told a BBC reporter at the scene that they felt shocked but "lucky to be alive".

They added that all they could think about was the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London during the summer.

Susanne Berrill, another tower block resident, told the BBC that she had lost everything in the blaze.

"I've literally only started life again after a big trauma and this has happened," she said, speaking from a local community centre.

Some residents expressed anger and said that they had not heard fire alarms on their floors.

One told the BBC: "The alarms went off on the floor where the fire was but why didn't it go off on all the floors with such a big fire?"

However, Group Commander Somerville said that the fire alarms had worked "as expected".

"The residents should not have concerns about that (the fire alarms)," he said.

"The alarm in the gentleman's flat operated and sounded and that is the correct configuration.

"There is a communal fire alarm system in the hallway that is to operate and automatically open vents to the common hallway and that also successfully operated.

"There would be no sounders in the common hallway nor should their be.

"It is important of course to emphasise to everybody that each flat would have a self-contained fire alarm system, this individual flat itself had three smoke detectors and they operated and worked.

"Their (other residents) alarms should not go off unless they detected smoke."

He added that the fire service would now assess whether residents can return to their homes but that "some flats and all flats may not be safe to enter tonight".

The blaze damaged flats on the ninth and tenth floors before it was brought under control, according to local community worker Julie Ann Jackson.

"They got everybody out," she told the BBC's Evening Extra programme.

Ms Jackson said safety drills had been carried out at the block, following the Grenfell fire in June.

A total of eleven fire appliances and four ambulances were sent to Coolmoyne House.

The tower block on the Seymour Hill housing estate is owned and operated by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

"Staff have been on site following the fire in a flat this evening and are on hand to offer emergency accommodation to any resident who requires it," it said in a statement,

"The cause of the fire is now under investigation by the NIFRS and we will be co-operating with them fully.

"We would like to commend the Northern Ireland Fire And Rescue Service, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland for their immediate response."

Dunmurry resident Sam Waide was driving past Coolmoyne House when he saw what he first believed was steam coming from the top of the building.

He pulled his car over and realised the tower block was on fire.

"It was sort of frightening," he told BBC News NI.

"After what happened in England, you think to yourself, is this another one?"

Mr Waide said emergency vehicles were at the scene "very, very quickly".

Robert Cullen was driving towards his sister's house in Seymour Hill when he saw "lots and lots of smoke".

"One side of the flats was all in flames, from about half way up," he told BBC News NI.

He said within minutes, fire appliances started to arrive "left, right and centre".

"As far as I'm aware, everybody got out," Mr Cullen added.

He said that after about 20 minutes, firefighters had doused all the flames and "there was just smoke".