Ballyclare store saved from inferno
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Warehouse at Woodsides where the fire was started. SE4015
THE SOUND of sirens filled the town once again over the weekend as fire crews had to deal with another serious blaze.
Woodsides department store was saved from serious damage after fire crews dealt with a fire on Sunday afternoon. This is the second high profile fire in the town after the Ballyboe bar was completely destroyed by fire a few months ago.
The new Woodsides building suffered extensive smoke and water damage however it is clear that If not for the actions of the fire service, Woodsides would have shared the same fate as the Ballyboe.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire Service said the blaze was started on purpose, she said: "Recyclable materials had been set on fire and it took two hours to control the situation and it was established the fire was deliberate."
This is a latest in a string of vandalism attacks that have occurred in the town including an ATM machine being destroyed by vandals on Friday night. Cllr Paul Girven expressed his disgust and concern over the incidents, he said: "Having just returned from Woodsides and seen the devastation at first hand I feel now is the time for something to be done.
“There has been a spate of vandalism over the last few weeks with incidents particularly high at weekends. It is an ongoing problem. Woodsides could have been destroyed completely which would have a major impact upon the lives of many people.
"As well as this fire the recycling bins at the leisure centre where destroyed. The council are making a decision about whether to remove these bins completely. Which will mean another service lost due to these thugs.
“It is getting ridiculous, it is about time that CCTV cameras were installed in the area, some sort of security measure for private and public property must be looked into. This is a serious problem and the only way it is going to be solved is through action."
Fire crews from Ballyclare, Antrim and Glengormley tackled the blaze that took nearly two hours to get under control and Paul was keen to praise their actions.
He added: "I would like to congratulate the quick action of the fire service, without which the town could have been facing the lost of another important business."
The police were called during he operation once it had been established a criminal act had occurred, a spokesperson for the PSNI said: "At approximately 3:50pm on Sunday, September 28th, police received a report of a fire at premises in the Granges Street area of Ballyclare.
“The fire is being treated as suspicious at this stage and police would ask anyone with any information to contact them on 0845 600 800"
