MORE than 50 firefighters last night battled a blaze which razed the warehouse of a family firm to the ground.
The building, at Loguestown Industrial Estate, Coleraine, is owned by the Haire Bros company based in the town.
It went on fire at around 7.30pm and within two hours had been reduced to a charred skeleton.
The firm specialises in waterproof roo
f linings, and the large amount of rubber and timber burning inside the unit sent giant plumes of smoke into the air.
No one was hurt and crews ensured the inferno did not spread to surrounding premises.
A spokesman for the NI Fire and Rescue Service said they would not be able to determine the cause of the fire until the remains of the premises were made safe.
Six fire engines were brought in, with aerial appliances used to tackle flames on the roof, most of which caved in during the blaze.
At around 10.30pm Fire Service area commander Jim McCallum revealed they were still working to make the area safe.
He said: "The building has been almost completely destroyed. There was a partial collapse of a substantial part of the roof at the start of the blaze and there are concerns the rest of the building will continue to collapse.
"We can't get into the unit because it is so unstable, and won't be able to start investigating until it is safe to enter."
An appliance was stationed in the area overnight in case the blaze reignited.
There was a scare when firefighters arrived that the building contained asbestos, but crews later ruled this out.
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