Six rescued in flats fires

The Bangor fire erupted in a second floor flat

Six people have been rescued from two separate fires in Northern Ireland which are being investigated by the police.

Firefighters rescued a man from a burning flat in Dungannon, County Tyrone, following what police say was a suspected arson attack.

The man, who is 27, suffered smoke inhalation in the blaze which erupted at Lisnahull Park in the town at about 0330 BST on Sunday.

The police said the fire was started in and was confined to a linen cupboard, but smoke caused damage to nearby property.

Fire officers said there was no smoke alarm.

No-one injured

In a separate incident, five people were rescued from a fire at a block of flats in County Down which police are treating as suspicious.

Three fire appliances attended the blaze which broke out at an unoccupied flat at Inishargie Gardens in Bangor at about 0500 BST on Sunday.

The people were rescued from adjacent flats, however, the entire block had to be evacuated. There were no reports of any injuries.

Philip Martin, district commander for the Fire Brigade, said the residents' quick-thinking helped save their lives.

"Some members of the public who were trapped in their flats by the heavy smoke acted very sensibly," he said.

"They closed all of the internal doors in their flats, opened windows to get fresh air and staying there, were able to attract the attention of fire crews."

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.