Northern Ireland

Fire at site of the old Downe Hospital treated as `deliberate'

The fire service said a blaze at the site of the old Downe Hospital in Downpatrick was started deliberately. Picture by Conor Kinahan/Pacemaker Press
The fire service said a blaze at the site of the old Downe Hospital in Downpatrick was started deliberately. Picture by Conor Kinahan/Pacemaker Press The fire service said a blaze at the site of the old Downe Hospital in Downpatrick was started deliberately. Picture by Conor Kinahan/Pacemaker Press

THE fire service said a blaze at the site of the old Downe Hospital was started deliberately.

The fire at a site at Pound Lane in Downpatrick, where new housing is being built, was reported just before 7.30pm on Tuesday.

At one point, nine appliances from Downpatrick, Knock, Ballynahinch and Newcastle stations attended the call, including an aerial appliance and a Command Support Unit.

A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters used ladders to fight the fire externally and wore breathing apparatus to enter the building and fight the fire internally.

"They used two hose reel jets and two jets to extinguish the fire, which was confined to the ground and first floor of the building.

"The incident was dealt with by 12.20am... and the cause of the fire is believed to have been deliberate ignition."

A PSNI spokesman said the fire was being treated as "deliberate", adding that enquiries into the incident are "continuing".

"It is believed that a number of rooms inside the property were damaged," he said.

Colin McGrath, SDLP assembly member, said it was "very sad to see the fire and damage to the old Downe hospital building" which is "under reconstruction at present to become new and much needed social housing."

"This is an iconic building in Downpatrick and a connection to the rich caring and health service heritage of our town and local people," he said.

"There was some anti-social behaviour at this site just last week with a fire set and a security guard at the location assaulted by local youths."

Mr McGrath added: "My understanding is this has been an act of arson and we must see swift action from the PSNI, to that end the SDLP team in Downpatrick have sought a meeting with senior PSNI officers."

Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard said the fire had left the community feeling "angered".

“I commend the fire and rescue services for their efforts to tackle the blaze," he said.

"The emergency services are under pressure at this time and do not need this type of incident. I would encourage anyone with information on how this blaze started to come forward to the PSNI."