Firefighters work overnight to tackle major blaze

A business owner has said he is “devastated,” after his shop was badly damaged by a fire in Newry.

Firefighters have worked overnight to tackle a the blaze at Greenbank industrial estate.

At its height, about 50 crew members dealt with the incident.

It is believed to have started at a kart racing centre just before noon on Saturday, before spreading to two other units.

Brian Murphy, the director of House of Murphy, a furniture showroom which was one of the other two units badly damaged by the fire said the family had just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the business.

Mr Murphy thanked the firefighters and farmers who had worked to put out the blaze and the local community who had also helped out.

“It’s making things maybe a bit easier at such a hard time,” he said.

“I know a fire started round the back somewhere and our business obviously caught fire then after.”

He said the showroom was open when the fire broke out.

“There were customers even in the shop that we escorted out and the fire alarm went off and everyone congregated at the front of the shop,” he said.

Mr Murphy said the damage to the unit was “extensive”.

“I don’t think there’s anything left to be honest,” he said.

On Saturday a senior Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) commander also thanked local farmers who helped carry water to the scene using slurry tanks.

“I can’t commend them enough,” Paul Gould told BBC News NI.

“The use of their agricultural vehicles and their help and assistance has been so valuable.

“They’ve been assisting us with their machinery and were able to feed us water, initially, when we didn’t have enough resources here and they’re still assisting us.

“So, I honestly want to thank each and every one of them.”

Mr Gould said officers had been working in “dangerous conditions” as the fire was “well-developed” when crews arrived.

He added that the blaze had been complicated due to the “layout and construction of the building”.

The operation to extinguish the blaze is ongoing, although NIFRS said its resources at the scene had been scaled back.

Earlier Mr Gould said a “large number of resources” had been deployed to tackle the blaze – six pump appliances, two aerial appliances and one control unit.

Fire officers from Newry, Warrenpoint and Belfast were involved.

The NIFRS had advised residents to “keep all windows and doors closed in the local area”.

The roads around the estate have since reopened.