Families moved due to oil blaze

One family has been left homeless and two others have been moved from their homes following a fire in Coalisland.

Three children had to be rescued by a firefighter from one of the houses in the Brambles area of the town.

The fire, which is believed to have started accidentally, began in a garden shed which contained two gas cylinders.

It ignited an oil tank, then spread to another tank next door. The flaming contents of both ruptured tanks then flowed down a hill, engulfing two cars.

Conor McElhatton lives in the Brambles area and saw what happened:

"There was plenty of people out in the street, there's youngsters screaming, you can hear them screaming in the background.

"It was just just a horror, and a rumble of fire. Definitely it'll stick in my mind for a long time" he said.

Station commander Paul McCluskey described the blaze as "a very serious situation".

Three families were moved from their homes and one is now looking for somewhere else to stay.