RESIDENTS and visitors yesterday left a central Belfast apartment block which they feared would be endangered by a bonfire.
People living in and temporarily renting flats at Wellwood Street, off Sandy Row, were forced out after the structure was moved closer than it had been in recent years.
One woman who had booked an apartment on Airbnb wrote on social media that she would probably “need to evacuate”.
“The host has phoned me and told me we may need to stay elsewhere on the 11th night,” she said.
Another woman who had been due to stay in the block this week said: “Cheers to you moving the bonfire back close to the apartments, our apartment’s been cancelled.”
A man wrote on Facebook: “It needs moved back from the apartments – the last time it was there was a
disaster.”
Five years ago the towering bonfire, in full blaze, toppled towards the apartments. Windows at Victoria Place cracked and shattered as a result of the heat. Residents said the inferno toppled towards their building as they looked on from inside. Firefighters blasted the top and base of the building with water to stop the heat spreading inside.
Before Covid the bonfire was built on nearby waste ground but this year it returned to the site closer to the flats.
SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said he been contacted by people who had voiced "concerns about the bonfire and its proximity to the apartments".
In other developments:
- It was feared last night that an unstable bonfire at Glencairn in north Belfast might collapse onto a day centre. Those who had built it warned that it was unsafe and urged children to stay clear.
- A video appeared to show a 45ft beacon and platform falling from from the top of the Craigyhill bonfire in Larne after its height of more than 200ft was declared a world record. It is understood to have been pulled down for safety reasons.
- There was criticism after Tyrone and Armagh GAA flags were flown on a Dungannon bonfire before it was lit last night.
It comes five years after the towering bonfire in full blaze toppled towards the high-rise block of flats on Wellwood Street.
Windows at the Victoria Place flats cracked and shattered as a result of heat from the Eleventh Night pyre in 2017 with shocked residents describing how the inferno toppled towards their building as they looked on from inside.
Some people were forced to evacuate as firefighters blasted the top and bottom of the building with water to stop the heat of the bonfire spreading inside.
Residents had called for an end to the bonfire being built beside their homes.
For some years after the 2017 controversy, it was constructed at another area of wasteland nearby, but this year it returned to the site close to the flats as well as a nearby hotel.
While organisers have claimed that this year's structure is three times smaller than the controversial one in 2017, Mr McKeown said he had been contacted by "people from the area who have concerns about the bonfire and its proximity to the apartments".
"I wouldn't expect those responsible for the building of bonfires to take any lectures from me, but I would appeal to anyone overseeing their construction and lighting to please put health and safety first," he said.
"The tragic incident in Larne at the weekend and the fact that young people are often involved in building these massive structures does cause me concern. We have also seen the impact on homes and people's wellbeing in previous years from bonfires being built too close to property, so I would urge anyone involved in planning bonfires to please think about the safety of the community."
People due to stay at the apartment complex this week had also voiced concerns, with one woman writing on social media that they would probably need to evacuate.
"I don't live there, we've booked an Airbnb and when you put the bonfire close the apartments we're staying in, in 2017 the windows all cracked and even exploded," she said.
"The host has phoned me and told me we may need to stay elsewhere on the Eleventh Night."
Another woman who had also been due to stay in the apartment block this week, added: "Cheers to you moving the bonfire back close to the apartments, our apartment has been cancelled".
