INVESTIGATORS believe a huge fire at a waste recycling plant in Derry may have been started deliberately.
Crews from across Northern Ireland were called in to deal with the blaze which broke out at a facility at Heather Road in the city’s Creggan area on Saturday.
At one stage, 58 firefighters from Derry, Belfast and Omagh were involved in the operation, which was continuing yesterday morning.
Smoke was visible throughout Derry and, at one stage, police warned people living close to the facility – operated by waste management firm Brickkiln - to keep windows closed.
Fire Service Group Commander William Johnston said the operation had been particularly challenging as it involved hundreds of tonnes of waste material.
“Because the waste materials are moved as we’re trying to extinguish them it’s difficult to ascertain the exact area where the fire started but early indications would suggest that it was a deliberate fire,” he said.
