Large fire breaks out at industrial estate

A large fire has broken out at an industrial estate in Bangor, County Down.

Eight crews from the Northern Ireland Fire Service (NIFRS) are at the scene of the fire at Fusco Vehicle Sales in the Balloo Industrial Estate.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has advised the public to avoid Balloo Way in Bangor.

Residents have been advised to keep windows closed due to smoke.

In a post on social media, Fusco Vehicle Sales said the fire was “now under control”.

“Everybody is safe and well and we will be in touch with all of our customers following advice and guidance from the fire brigade,” the company posted.

“We really appreciate everybody’s understanding and patience.”

From the police cordon at the top of Balloo Way, the flames of the fire aren’t visible.

But a large plume of smoke hanging in the sky above the industrial estate gives a sense of its scale.

Firefighters have been tackling the blaze with water from a height. At this point, it appears to be well under control.

Cordons in place around the scene have ensured there are few members of the public around.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MLA Stephen Dunne said there was “shock and concern” in the community earlier.

He added that there was now “widespread relief and thankfulness” that there were no injuries considering “the potentially devastating consequences of such a major fire”.

“We could have been looking at devastation given the close proximity to quite a number of businesses within the Balloo area and the proximity to hundreds and hundreds of homes within Bangor,” he said.

North Down MP Alex Easton urged people to stay away from the area to allow the emergency services to carry out their work and to keep access routes clear.

“I want to pay tribute to the firefighters and all emergency personnel responding in difficult circumstances,” he said.

Alliance Party MLA Connie Egan praised the NIFRS for its “prompt and professional response” to the fire, which she said could have caused “even more damage had they not managed to bring it under control quickly”.

“This was a very major fire and has obviously caused quite a lot of concern to those living nearby,” she added.

“My thoughts are with the team at Fusco, who will be incredibly distressed.”