A FIRE at a BT building in Belfast has been blamed for problems to computer systems at many city centre businesses.
Several companies reported internet disruption during the blaze at Telephone House on May Street yesterday.
It is believed the fire led to problems in accessing a number of websites including Translink, Belfast City Council, the PSNI and the Police Ombudsman.
The small fire broke out on the fourth floor shortly before 6am.
Buildings in the area were evacuated during the operation and there were rush-hour traffic delays in the city centre.
An aerial appliance and five fire engines attended the scene with crews spending a substantial amount of time ventilating smoke out of the building.
Several businesses throughout the city took to social media to let customers know they were experiencing issues with their websites, believed to be linked to the fire.
Both Translink and the Police Ombudsman's Office told their Twitter followers that their websites were not working and Belfast City Council also said its website was down.
John Minnis estate agents tweeted: "All our systems are down due to the fire in Belfast. Sincere apologies to any of our customers who this is affecting".
Recruit NI wrote: "We are working hard to bring recruitni.com back online. This has been caused by a fire at BT Datacentre in Belfast".
A BT spokeswoman said the cause and potential impact of the fire was being investigated.
"There were no injuries and a full investigation as to the cause of the incident is currently underway," she said.
The NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the blaze was being treated as "accidental".
