Deliberate fire in Derry involved up to 1,000 burning tyres

Dozens of local firefighters were tasked to the scene of the fire on waste ground in Pennyburn on Saturday.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had been started deliberately on land behind the old Arntz factory in Pennyburn Industrial Estate.

A large plume of toxic black smoke was visible across a wide area of the city while the fire burned. The smoke billowed northeastward in the blustery conditions felt in Derry on Saturday.

Road closures had to be put in place. There were police cordons at Pennyburn Pass and the Buncrana Road and motorists were advised to avoid the area and seek alternative routes for around two hours.

NI Fire & Rescue Service Assistant Group Commander Brian Hetherington from Crescent Link station said the initial call came through at around 3.50pm.

“There was numerous calls to our control centre and the first appliance was there within minutes,” he said. “Within between 45 minutes to an hour we had it under control. It was breezy enough. You could see the plume of smoke for miles. We used foam to extinguish the fire.Four pumping appliances and one command unit were used. Our last appliance left the scene at 5.30pm.”

A large number of bystanders gathered to watch the operation to subdue the inferno, and Ass. Comm. Hetherington said at one stage there were 26 personnel on site.

Motorists suffered tail backs for hours with the Buncrana Road closed between the Springtown Road and the Strand Road as the fire service tackled the incident from access points in Pennyburn Industrial Estate.

Mr Hetherington also warned about the dangers of people setting fires deliberately. “It ties resources up and is a drain on our resources at a time when we are very busy with gorse season.”