MORE than 60 firefighters who spent four hours extinguishing a blaze at a residential property in Derry have been praised for their efforts.
The fire broke out at an apartment block in Lower Clarendon Street at around 12noon yesterday afternoon.
A Chinese restaurant is also located within the building.
Two people were rescued from the fifth floor of the apartment block, with one requiring medical attention.
More than 60 firefighters attended the blaze at an apartment block in Derry“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, used water jets to extinguished the fire,” a spokesperson for Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue (NIFRS) confirmed.
“At the height of the incident over 60 firefighters were involved in the operation from Crescent Link, Northland, Strabane, Limavady, Maghera, Magherafelt, Dungiven, Omagh and Newtownstewart Fire Stations,” they added.
“Our firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the duration of the incident to ensure that the fire was brought under control,” they explained.
“We would like to thank the public for their patience whilst we dealt with the incident.
“The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental ignition and the incident was dealt with at 4.12pm.”
Firefighters from ten brigades tackled the blazePraising the firefighters for extinguishing the blaze Foyle MLA Mark Durkan said: “I’d like to thank the scores of firefighters who spent hours working to extinguish this blaze in the heart of our city centre on Monday.
“This incident has caused significant disruption in our city,” he added.
“This will be a very concerning time for the residents who live in this building and the business owner and staff impacted.
“My thoughts are with them as we wait to see the damage that has been caused as a result of this fire.
“We saw a major fire in this area a number of years ago which will no doubt have made this incident all the more difficult for those affected."
