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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Families flee homes in gorse fire | Families flee homes in gorse fire |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Families were forced to flee nine homes overnight as 50 firefighters tackled a gorse fire in County Antrim. | |
| The fire was started deliberately in Whitehead close to Marine Parade. It is still burning. A police investigation is under way. | |
| Nine fire appliances helped tackle it and houses at Quay Lane were evacuated. Some were just 35 metres from the fire. | |
| As crews tackled the blaze, they picked up thermal imaging pictures of people setting even more fires alight. | |
| Thomas McCombe who lives in the area said he was horrified by what had happened. | |
| "There's five people living next door to me. Then, there is my wife and I. We all could have been burned to death. How could somebody come and set a fire alight and run away from it? I am dumbfounded by the mess and destruction," he said. | |
| Mr McCombe said he heard three young people running past his house at 2200GMT on Monday. | |
| The flames were about 25ft or 30 ft away from the houses, we were all evacuated last night. It was just a disaster, a total disaster Thomas McCombe | |
| He followed them up the hill and turned around to see the fire. | |
| "The hill was a total and utter blaze. Only for the quick reaction of the Northern Ireland Fire Service and the police, I don't know what would have happened. | |
| "Old people live down here. .. a lady on a zimmer frame and a lady with brittle bone disease. The flames were about 25ft or 30ft away from the houses. We were all evacuated last night. It was just a disaster, a total disaster." | |
| 'Deliberate' | |
| Mark Beresford from the Fire and Rescue Service said there were "good indications" that the fires were started deliberately. | Mark Beresford from the Fire and Rescue Service said there were "good indications" that the fires were started deliberately. |
| "This was putting lives in danger, not only ourselves, but members of the public," he said. | "This was putting lives in danger, not only ourselves, but members of the public," he said. |
| Mr Beresford, assistant group commander with the service said that, from the Fire and Rescue control point, using thermal imaging, they could pick up pictures of people setting even more fires. | Mr Beresford, assistant group commander with the service said that, from the Fire and Rescue control point, using thermal imaging, they could pick up pictures of people setting even more fires. |
| Tackling the fire was extremely hazardous because of the rough terrain where the fire was burning, close to the main Larne to Belfast railway line. | Tackling the fire was extremely hazardous because of the rough terrain where the fire was burning, close to the main Larne to Belfast railway line. |
| The main road from Carrickfergus to Whitehead and the railway line were both closed as fire crews tackled the flames. | The main road from Carrickfergus to Whitehead and the railway line were both closed as fire crews tackled the flames. |
| People have returned to their homes but, on Tuesday morning, firefighters continued to tackle the blaze. | People have returned to their homes but, on Tuesday morning, firefighters continued to tackle the blaze. |