29 December 2020
On Saturday 28 December 2019 at 7:33pm, Firefighters were called to a house fire in Clarawood Park, Belfast.
Two Appliances from Knock Fire Station and one Appliance from Central Fire Station attended the incident. Firefighters used breathing apparatuses and hose reel jets to tackle the fire.
One male was evacuated from the house by Firefighters and first aid was administered but tragically the man was pronounced dead by paramedics.
The incident was dealt with by 9:11pm and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Alan Walmsley said:
“The thoughts of NIFRS are with this gentleman and with the community at this time.
“This is the high-risk time for us over Christmas. This is the second fatality we have had in the month of December in an accidental house fire in Northern Ireland. Last year we lost four people in house fires over November and December.
“We would remind everybody to consider their own fire safety.
“We believe there was not a working smoke alarm in this property. We want to reinforce the message around smoke alarms and the key role they play.
“We’re asking everybody to consider this tragedy, think of the pain the family is going through and consider how they can keep themselves and their families safe.”