Recycling Plant Fire 'Biggest In Years'

A major fire in a clothes recycling plant outside Newry has been described as "one of the biggest incidents" the fire service has seen in years.

The blaze, which at its peak last night had 115 firefighters and 23 fire engines working on it, is now under control.

Firefighters arrived at the warehouse on the Newtown Road in Cloghoghe shortly after 11pm yesterday.

They were confronted with a "serious and rapidly developing fire" and crews from across Northern Ireland were drafted in to help.

Area Commander John Allen told the BBC: "This happened in a remote part of the countryside, there are no rivers nearby which meant water had to be pumped over a mile and a half."

Local residents and businesses supplied water to the scene.

Part of the building has been severely damaged and people have been warned to stay away as it is not structurally safe.

But no one was injured in the fire, and the danger of it spreading to a full lorry park was averted.

Northern Ireland's Chief Fire Officer Chris Kerr, who was at the scene, said: "This is one of the biggest incidents Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has attended in many years and I am confident that only the courage and professionalism of our crews prevented the incident from escalating further."

More than a hundred people are employed at the plant and Sinn Fein's Megan Fearon said she hoped the business could "become operational once more in the near future."

(NE)