Six rescued from south Belfast fire

Emergency Services have rescued six people during a suspected arson attack at a property in south Belfast.

Shortly after 2am, the fire and rescue service were called to the scene of a fire at a building in the Eglantine Avenue area of the city. The building, which is split in to six flats, was engulfed in smoke and residents were trapped inside.

Fire fighters used ladders to help free the six people, including a family of four, a man and a woman who were in separate parts of the three-storey building.

The people were all taken to hospital, where they were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation and shock.

It is understood that a mattress had been dumped in a rear escape corridor and a number of papers placed on top of it and set alight.

Watch commander Ashley Jeffries from the Fire Service said it was fortunate that fire alarms were working at the flats, otherwise "we could have been talking about fatalities".

He added that police were treating the blaze as suspicious and an investigation into a possible racial motive for the attack would be carried out.

MLAs have roundly condemned the incident.

Ulster Unionist South Belfast MLAs, Michael McGimpsey and Esmond Birnie, have voiced "shock and dismay" that a house fire in the area may have been racially motivated.

In a statement, Mr McGimpsey said: "This is a community which prides itself on its cultural diversity, so it would be a particularly worrying development should this fire prove to be racially motivated.

"Promoting tolerance of difference demands that we clamp down hard on those who would attack, harass and intimidate people on the basis of their ethnic background. There can be no place for racially motivated incidents in a society which values fairness and decency."

UUP Spokesperson on Community Relations Esmond Birnie said: "The UK is a multi-cultural nation which values the contribution ethnic minorities make to our way of life.

"As a result, there are now long custodial sentences on the statute book to deal with crimes where racial hatred is a factor. Where such crimes occur, the perpetrators must feel the full weight of the law."

Concluding, he said: “The police, and the local community, will be keen to know whether this fire was deliberate and whether there is indeed a racial link. I would urge anyone who has any information to contact police immediately."

South Belfast Sinn Fein MLA Alex Maskey said: "Like many people who have heard that this fire may have been started deliberately I am deeply disturbed. If this is proven to be the case then clearly, those who would carry out such an act have no regard for human life.

He concluded: "This latest incident also underlines the importance of having a proper fire alarm system or smoke alarm fitted in all blocks of flats. If it were not for the fire alarms installed then we could be dealing with something much more tragic this morning."

Anyone who may have witnessed anyone behaving suspiciously in the Eglantine Avenue area of the city at around 2am this morning or who may have any information in connection with the fire, are asked to contact police on 0845 600 8000, or anonymously on the Crimestoppers number on 0800 555 111.

(EF)