Firefighters from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service responded to a blaze at a derelict building on Beechmount Parade in west Belfast. The initial call came in at 6:26pm on Thursday.

Eight fire appliances and 54 firefighters attended the scene. Crews brought the fire under control. Police from the PSNI assisted at the location.

Local residents received advice to keep windows and doors closed during operations. Members of the public were asked to avoid the area.

The site is the former Corpus Christi school. SDLP councillor Paul Doherty stated that residents had faced ongoing issues there and called for the site to be developed for permanent use.