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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Nadia Breen

Ross Road Belfast fire which left residents without power overnight believed to be 'deliberate'

A number of residents in West Belfast were left without power overnight after an electric box fire which is believed to have been "deliberate ignition".

The incident happened before 9pm on Wednesday night at Ross Road, with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attending the scene.

In an update on Thursday afternoon, Northern Ireland Electricity said: “NIE Networks responded to reports of a fault in the Ross Road area of Belfast on the evening of Wednesday 23rd March.

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"Due to a fire that affected electricity network equipment, some customers experienced a loss of supply at approximately 8.45pm.

"The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service responded to make the area safe for engineers from NIE Networks to begin carrying out repairs.

"Most customers had power restored before 10pm however due to the nature of the permanent repairs required, 10 customers remained off supply overnight, with power restored at 10.35am on Thursday 24th March.”

A NIFRS spokesperson said: "1 Fire Appliance from Central Fire Station and 1 Fire Appliance from Springfield Fire Station attended the incident.

"Firefighters were called to reports of an electrical cable fire. Firefighters used 1 hose reel extinguish the fire. The incident was dealt with by 12.40am and the cause of the fire is believed to be deliberate ignition."

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Falls Residents Association said: "80 homes [were] left without electric and heating."

They added: "A massive thank you to St. Peter's Immaculata Youth Centre Belfast for opening their doors to the community and to the young people of the area who knocked on doors to provide help and support to the residents impacted.

"Thanks also to Tina Black for co-ordinating the response with the relevant agencies."

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