Young patient returned after fire

Some 25 firefighters tackled flames into the early hours

A teenager detained by police after a fire at Knockbracken Healthcare Park in Belfast has been returned to the care of health workers for assessment.

A ward had to be evacuated after the blaze broke out on Monday night. The ward was destroyed.

The police and fire service were called to the hospital at about 2130 BST following a disturbance.

Staff were able to move all the residents of the Copeland ward to safety.

It houses young, mentally ill residents. They spent the night in alternative accommodation within the hospital grounds.

A nearby ward where older patients are cared for was also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The fire developed right through the roofspace and there was no way of venting the fire - hence the reason why we were there so long Jim Boyd Fire and Rescue Service

Paul Bell, medical director of the South and East Belfast Trust, said he was pleased with how the situation was handled.

"Staff throughout the site were very flexible and worked very well under pressure and so did the management systems that we have within our trust," he said.

"We are quite pleased that we dealt with the fire when it happened, but there are still a lot of lessons to be learnt and about how we avoid such fires in the future."

'Remain at the site'

Some 25 firefighters tackled flames into the early hours of Tuesday.

A fire spokesman said residents and staff left the burning building and people were led from nearby blocks. There were no reported injuries.

The spokesman added that firefighters had not been able to enter the building because of the ferocity of the fire.

He said the building, which is about 50m by 15m and single-storied, would probably have to be knocked down and rebuilt because of the amount of damage caused by the blaze.

Crews were likely to remain at the site until later on Tuesday when an investigation into the cause would begin, said the spokesman.

Assistant Divisional Officer Jim Boyd of the Fire Service said the blaze was well developed when crews arrived.

"The staff had already evacuated those who were in the unit and an adjacent unit," he said.

"The difficulty for us was that the units had been refurbished and they had laid a new roof on top of the old roof.

"The old roof was a wooden felted roof. The fire developed right through the roofspace and there was no way of venting the fire - hence the reason why we were there so long."

Meanwhile, about 60 workers had to be evacuated from a car parts factory in Londonderry after a piece of equipment caught fire.

The blaze at Calgast in Campsie started in an extraction unit at about midnight.

It was brought under control by fire crews and staff were allowed to return to work.