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Major fire at industrial estate 'under control'

Chloe Gibsonand
Lyndsey Telford,BBC News NI
News imageAaron Duffy A fire is blazing from a building in an industrial estate. In there car park there are a large number of cars. One fire engine appears to be tackling the blaze Aaron Duffy
Eight fire crews were at the scene at the height of the fire

A large fire at an industrial estate in Bangor, County Down, is now under control, the Northern Ireland Fire Service (NIFRS) has said.

At the height of the blaze on Friday evening, eight fire crews were at the scene at Fusco Vehicle Sales in the Balloo Industrial Estate.

The operation has now been scaled back but one crew will remain overnight to monitor the situation.

NIFRS added that there has been a structural collapse at the site.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has advised the public to avoid Balloo Way in Bangor.

Residents are advised to keep windows closed due to smoke.

In a post on social media, Fusco Vehicle Sales said: "Everybody is safe and well and we will be in touch with all of our customers following advice and guidance from the fire brigade.

"We really appreciate everybody's understanding and patience."

News imageMichael McDonagh Large plumes of smoke are coming from behind the building at the front of the image. It has a sign that reads 'Fusco Vehicle Sales'. Orange flames are rising to just above the height of the building. Cars are parked in front car park. Michael McDonagh
Large plumes of smoke were spotted coming from the fire at Balloo Industrial Estate

A large plume of smoke hanging in the sky above the industrial estate gave a sense of the fire's scale.

Firefighters tackled the blaze with water from a height.

Cordons in place around the scene ensured there were few members of the public around.

News imageLinda Coulter Grey plumes of smoke are emerging as the result of a fire. The picture has been taken from the back of a house and it is unclear where the smoke is coming from. Linda Coulter
Residents were advised to keep windows closed due to the smoke

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MLA Stephen Dunne said there was "shock and concern" in the community.

He added that there was also "widespread relief and thankfulness" that there were no injuries considering "the potentially devastating consequences of such a major fire".

"We could have been looking at devastation given the close proximity to quite a number of businesses within the Balloo area and the proximity to hundreds and hundreds of homes within Bangor," he said.

News imagePacemaker A fire fighter is on a crane in the air and water from a hose is being poured onto a fire. Metal coverings are lying about.Pacemaker
Firefighters tackled the blaze with water from a height

North Down MP Alex Easton urged people to stay away from the area to allow the emergency services to carry out their work and to keep access routes clear.

"I want to pay tribute to the firefighters and all emergency personnel responding in difficult circumstances," he said.

Alliance Party MLA Connie Egan praised the NIFRS for its "prompt and professional response" to the fire, which she said could have caused "even more damage had they not managed to bring it under control quickly".

"This was a very major fire and has obviously caused quite a lot of concern to those living nearby," she added.

"My thoughts are with the team at Fusco, who will be incredibly distressed."