05/08/2009
RVH Traffic Diverted After Blaze
A fire in a derelict building in west Belfast has caused considerable disruption to traffic today.
The cause of last night's outbreak is still being probed, after it forced the evacuation of two nearby accommodation blocks for nurses and medics.
The blaze broke out at the premises facing Broadway Towers near the Broadway Roundabout just before 6pm on Tuesday.
The towers provide living quarters for nurses and other medical staff from the nearby Royal Victoria Hospital, as well as young families.
Last night, Broadway was closed as emergency services moved in to secure the area and fight the fire, while today, the building remains in a dangerous condition.
Fear of collapse has forced the road's continued closure, with traffic in and out of the Royal Victoria Hospital diverted to the Grosvenor Road entrance.
NI Fire Service District Commander John Langtry said it was a spectacular blaze.
"When we arrived there were flames shooting well up in the air and a lot of smoke," he said.
"Our primary concern was to get to the people in the tower blocks and make sure they were OK and then evacuate them.
"We had crews in to make sure everyone was safe and then got them out."
Mr Langtry said eight appliances and around 70 firefighters were needed to deal with the blaze, which took around two hours to bring under control.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. The fire chief said it was too difficult at this stage to say what might have sparked the blaze, but he feels the building is beyond repair.
"We will have surveyors out and they'll take a decision but the damage is quite extensive. I imagine it would be taken down," he said.
(BMcC/KMcA)
The cause of last night's outbreak is still being probed, after it forced the evacuation of two nearby accommodation blocks for nurses and medics.
The blaze broke out at the premises facing Broadway Towers near the Broadway Roundabout just before 6pm on Tuesday.
The towers provide living quarters for nurses and other medical staff from the nearby Royal Victoria Hospital, as well as young families.
Last night, Broadway was closed as emergency services moved in to secure the area and fight the fire, while today, the building remains in a dangerous condition.
Fear of collapse has forced the road's continued closure, with traffic in and out of the Royal Victoria Hospital diverted to the Grosvenor Road entrance.
NI Fire Service District Commander John Langtry said it was a spectacular blaze.
"When we arrived there were flames shooting well up in the air and a lot of smoke," he said.
"Our primary concern was to get to the people in the tower blocks and make sure they were OK and then evacuate them.
"We had crews in to make sure everyone was safe and then got them out."
Mr Langtry said eight appliances and around 70 firefighters were needed to deal with the blaze, which took around two hours to bring under control.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. The fire chief said it was too difficult at this stage to say what might have sparked the blaze, but he feels the building is beyond repair.
"We will have surveyors out and they'll take a decision but the damage is quite extensive. I imagine it would be taken down," he said.
(BMcC/KMcA)
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