Blaze at Belfast builder's yard

Building materials were destroyed in the fire

A large quantity of building materials has been destroyed during a suspicious fire in west Belfast.

Eight fire crews fought the blaze at a builder's yard behind the former Budget DIY store on the Andersonstown Road last night.

The fire spread to the derelict store, however, it caused only minor damage.

"It was dangerous in that the fire spread inside the derelict building," said Martin McDonald of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service.

"So at one stage we had to commit men inside to basically to extinguish the fire.

"Because it was a derelict building we were unsure just how safe the structure was, and we had to treat it with great care whenever we went inside."

SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood described it as an arson attack, and said whoever carried it out "must have known the danger they were putting nearby businesses and passersby in."

He added "Attacks like this put huge strain on our already pressurized emergency services and must not be tolerated."