Devices made safe following violence

The situation calmed as soldiers moved in

Army technical officers have dealt with nine devices and suspicious objects across Belfast following disturbances in the north of the city which left several people injured.

A fire officer was treated for shock after a blast bomb exploded near him in the Ardoyne area.

A man was treated for shrapnel injuries and shock and two other men also suffered shock after a blast bomb exploded near them.

Firefighters came under gun and bomb attack at the sectarian flashpoint.

Police were called to the largely Protestant Glenbryn area of Ardoyne at 1530 BST on Thursday after fighting broke out between rival crowds.

Two fire engines were abandoned after firefighters were attacked with gunfire and blast bombs.

The firefighters had to make their escape on foot.

Jim Barbour: Attacks were outrageous

The Fire Service later confirmed firefighters were attacked but said all its vehicles had since been retrieved.

Fire Brigades Union spokesman Jim Barbour described the attack on his colleagues as "shocking".

"We were sent to respond to a fire call - it was a house fire in Glenbryn Park. Obviously it was a very serious incident in itself," he said.

"We believe it is absolutely shocking and outrageous that our firefighters, when they arrived at the scene, were caught up in gunfire and blast bomb attacks across the community.

"We are aware that a number of civilians have been injured and, indeed, one firefighter has been injured as well."

Meanwhile, in a nearby area of north Belfast, the Army defused pipe bombs at Westland Road and the Crumlin Road.

A suspicious object found at Glenbryn Park was declared a hoax.

A further alert at the police headquarters at Knock in east Belfast has also ended.

The police said a suspect package was an innocent delivery.

Sectarian clashes

A pipe bomb was made safe in the same area on Wednesday night.

There have been frequent sectarian clashes in the Ardoyne area over the past year, since the beginning of the Holy Cross Primary School stand off.

Loyalists stopped Catholic children going through their area to school, citing attacks on their homes by republicans as the reason.

The so-called peace wall in the area, dividing Catholics and Protestants, was extended and CCTV cameras put in place in an attempt to quell the violence.