Fire at former mental hospital '˜deliberate'

The blaze quickly spread over two floors of the disused Stradreagh Hospital on the grounds of Gransha and close to Oakgrove College, and dozens of fire-fighters were required to bring it under control in an operation lasting several hours.

A Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) spokesperson said this afternoon: “We received a call this morning (Tuesday 8 March) at 7.19am to attend a fire at an unoccupied building within the grounds of the disused Stradreagh Hospital site, Gransha Park.

“Six Fire Appliances, an Aerial Specialist Appliance, a Command Support Unit and 44 Firefighters dealt with a well-developed fire which spanned over two floors in the building.

“The incident was dealt with at 12.36pm. The cause of the fire is believed to be deliberate and PSNI are investigating.”