Two rescued from Belfast fire

The blaze broke out on Christmas morning at the Russell Court building in Claremont Street, off the Lisburn Road.

Area Commander at NIFRS headquarters in Lisburn, Mark Smyth told the News Letter: “This was an accidental fire to which we tasked six fire appliances and a specialist rescue team in an aerial appliance given the height of the building involved.

“One person was rescued from a roof they had jumped onto from a window and the other person was rescued from inside the building.

“The PSNI, NIFRS and NI Ambulance Service all attended the scene and reacted quickly. The fire inside the apartment was put out quickly.”

While Area Commander Smyth said the cause of the fire was not yet known, he urged the public to keep safety in mind during the festive season.

“We would remind everyone to make sure they have a working smoke alarm, to avoid overloading plugs and not to leave cookers unattended.”

The condition of the two people who were rescued is not yet known.