Woman rescued from burning Rockmills flat

Paramedics assessed and treated the woman at the scene and determined she was not seriously injured and did not have to attend hospital.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

A Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) spokesperson said: “Firefighters attended a fire in a kitchen in a fourth floor apartment. A female was asleep when the fire occurred and firefighters using breathing apparatus entered the property and led the female to safety.

“An ambulance was in attendance but she didn’t attend hospital. The firefighters used hose-reel jets to put out the fire.”

Five NIFRS appliances and two Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) vehicles were tasked to the apartment block shortly after 9.00 a.m. yesterday. The Fire Service was first to be alerted while the NIAS were called out just over 10 minutes later.

In addition to an emergency ambulance crew, the NIAS dispatched its Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) who are specially trained to deal with potentially serious incidents including significant fires.

A NIFRS spokesperson confirmed that the five fire appliances responded to an emergency call out to a flat at Rockmills at 9.10 a.m. Four engines from Derry - two from Northland Road and two from Crescent Link - and one from Strabane took part in the operation.

A number of residents of the flats complex were evacuated from their homes as firefighters dealt with the incident.

The NIAS, meanwhile, said it received a 999 call at 9.22 a.m. yesterday. A NIAS spokesperson confirmed that following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, no-one had to be transferred to hospital.

NIFRS said the incident was dealt with by 10.33 a.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.