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Belfast Primark: Urgent City Hall meeting after blaze Belfast Primark fire: Urgent City Hall meeting after blaze
(about 2 hours later)
An emergency meeting is taking place in Belfast following the major fire that destroyed the Primark store in the city centre. An emergency meeting is taking place in Belfast after a major fire destroyed the Primark store in the city centre.
A 45-metre police cordon is in place around the site of the blaze at the historic Bank Buildings in Castle Street and several roads are closed. A 45m (148ft) police cordon is in place around the historic Bank Buildings on Castle Street and several roads are closed as a result of Tuesday's fire.
The NI Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the five-storey building's exterior is structurally intact. Wednesday's meeting will deal with issues for staff and nearby businesses.
Wednesday's meeting will deal with staff issues and nearby businesses. The fire service confirmed that engineers who inspected the five-storey building's exterior have said it is structurally intact.
It will also look at which roads can be opened. Queen Street remains closed from Wellington Place to its junction with Castle Street, while Castle Street is closed from Queen Street to Royal Avenue.
Currently, Queen Street remains closed from Wellington Place to its junction with Castle Street, while Castle Street is closed from Queen Street to Royal Avenue. The fire started near the top of the listed building at about 11:00 BST on Tuesday.
The fire erupted at the listed building about 11:00 BST on Tuesday, and firefighters battled the flames throughout the night after the roof and floors caved in. Firefighters battled the flames throughout the day and overnight into Wednesday after the roof and floors collapsed.
The fire was still burning on Wednesday morning, and the fire service said it would take some time to extinguish the blaze. The fire was still burning on Wednesday morning and 30 firefighters remain at the site.
Amid fears that the building could collapse, engineers inspected the building and said its exterior is "structurally intact". No-one was injured in the blaze and it is not yet clear how it started.
Belfast Lord Mayor Deirdre Hargey, who is at Wednesday morning's city hall meeting, told BBC News NI: "We need to look at the next steps in terms of preserving this historic building, supporting traders in the area and helping Primark staff to find another place of work in the interim." Structural engineers have inspected the building amid feats that it could collapse.
Ms Hargey said the fire was "devastating for the city as a whole", but stressed that the city centre is still open for business. Belfast Lord Mayor Deirdre Hargey said the fire had been "devastating for the city as a whole" but she added that the city centre was still open for business.
It is believed that more than 350 people work in the store. "We need to look at the next steps in terms of preserving this historic building, supporting traders in the area and helping Primark staff to find another place of work in the interim," she said.
Alan O'Neill of the Northern Ireland Fire Service said further structural collapse overnight had prevented firefighters getting access to the interior. Parts of the building are still collapsing and Alan O'Neill of the fire service said that had prevented firefighters getting access to the inside of the building.
"We've been cooling from the outside, but it is going to take a bit more time to get the fire out - we're likely to be there for the next couple of days," he said. "We've been cooling from the outside but it is going to take a bit more time to get the fire out - we're likely to be there for the next couple of days," he said.
Praising the crews who have tackled the fire, he added: "It certainly has been very challenging and they did extremely well to prevent it spreading to the neighbouring buildings of Tesco and Zara." He praised the crews that tackled the fire, adding: "It certainly has been very challenging and they did extremely well to prevent it spreading to the neighbouring buildings of Tesco and Zara."
All buses operating in and out of the city centre will be subject to delays and diversions.
No-one was injured in the blaze and it is not yet clear how the fire at the listed building started. Some nearby shops and offices are not opening.
Staff devastated
Staff at the former Primark store have been expressing shock and concern about their futures.
Mary Flynn from Glengormley has worked for the company since it first opened in Belfast City Centre in 1975 at Queen's Arcade before moving to the Bank Buildings.
Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Mrs Flynn said she was "devastated" to learn about the fire through a phone call from her niece.
"When I heard I was so sad, so upset... but we're just so glad that all the staff and customers got out safely," she said.
She has not been able to contact her colleagues and friends who were working in the store as most of them left their belongings behind when they had to leave the building.
"Their phones and bags were in the store when they left, they just ran and helped to get the customers out. So I haven't been able to speak to any of them."
Mrs Flynn described her workplace as "a fabulous store with fabulous people - it was like my second home", adding that there had been great anticipation about the completion of the refurbished store.
On Tuesday, the fire service said the blaze started on the fifth floor or the roof.
At the scene: BBC News NI presenter Karen PattersonAt the scene: BBC News NI presenter Karen Patterson
Belfast is waking up to an image as dramatic as those last night, broadcast across the world, of one of Belfast's most iconic buildings. Belfast is waking up to an image as dramatic as those broadcast across the world last night of one of Belfast's most iconic buildings.
This morning it's a very sorry sight - it is a shell. It is a very sorry sight - Bank Buildings is a shell and all of the floors have collapsed.
Visibly, all of the internal floors have collapsed. As I stand at a cordon that stretches around the building there are real concerns about trading opportunities for businesses around the Castle Junction.
As I stand at a cordon, which stretches around 45 metres around the building, there are real concerns about future trading opportunities for businesses in and around the Castle Junction site. All buses operating in and out of the city centre on Wednesday will be subject to delays and diversions.
Firefighters pieced together 1km (1,380ft) of hose to bring water from the River Lagan to the building on Tuesday evening. Some nearby shops and offices have not opened on Wednesday.
It is believed that more than 350 people worked at the Primark, which was undergoing a major refurbishment and extension that was estimated to cost £30m.
Some staff have spoken of their shock and concern about their futures.
Mary Flynn, from Glengormley in County Antrim, has worked for Primark since it first opened in Belfast city centre in 1975 at Queen's Arcade before moving to the Bank Buildings.
She said she was "devastated" to learn about the fire through a phonecall from her niece.
"When I heard I was so sad, so upset... but we're just so glad that all the staff and customers got out safely," she told BBC News NI.
She described her workplace as "a fabulous store with fabulous people - it was like my second home".
Michaela Lafferty, from the Usdaw trade union, which represents staff at the Primark branch, said 100 more staff were due to be recruited.
Some staff had been left without their house keys after they had to leave their belongings in the building as the fire spread, she told BC News NI.
"That workforce spanned across generations - we had some workers who had been there for 43 years - and it's a testament to the loyalty of the staff Primark had here," said Ms Lafferty.
"This absolutely was their home - this isn't just the workplace that's lost their place of work, this is a family that's lost their home."
What is the history of the building?What is the history of the building?
The clothing and homeware chain was undergoing a major refurbishment.
It was being extended along Castle Street in a project costing an estimated £30m.
The original Bank Buildings was designed by Sir Robert Taylor and erected by Waddell Cunningham in 1785.The original Bank Buildings was designed by Sir Robert Taylor and erected by Waddell Cunningham in 1785.
WH Lynn designed the new bank buildings in 1900. WH Lynn designed the new Bank Buildings in 1900.
He intended it as a bridge to the 20th Century, with a compromise between the classical style of the upper part of the building and the great expanse of plate glass below.He intended it as a bridge to the 20th Century, with a compromise between the classical style of the upper part of the building and the great expanse of plate glass below.
Three bombs exploded in the Bank Buildings in 1975 - a huge fire broke out shortly afterwards and damaged parts of the building.Three bombs exploded in the Bank Buildings in 1975 - a huge fire broke out shortly afterwards and damaged parts of the building.
In 1979, the Bank Buildings were taken over by the Dublin-based group Primark. In 1979, the Bank Buildings was taken over by the Dublin-based group Primark and the store was totally refurbished and the exterior restored to its 1903 glory.
Within 18 months, the store was totally refurbished and the exterior restored to its 1903 glory.
Primark CEO Paul Marchant said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the fire.
Rajesh Rana, president of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said it was "a sad day for Belfast and for one of our city's leading retailers."