Huge Newry fire was accidental, says NIFRS
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service says a major fire that burned over the weekend in Newry was caused accidentally.
Firefighters worked over the weekend to tackle the blaze at Greenbank industrial estate.On Monday, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it believed the blaze was caused accidentally.About 50 firefighters were required to tackle the blaze at its peak.They believe it started at a kart racing centre just before noon on Saturday, before spreading to two other units.Brian Murphy is director of House of Murphy, a furniture showroom which was one of the other two units badly damaged.
He thanked the firefighters, farmers and the local community who had helped tackle the blaze."It's making things maybe a bit easier at such a hard time," he told the BBC.He added: "I don't think there's anything left to be honest," he said.On Sunday evening the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said firefighting operations had come to a close.On Saturday a senior 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."