Firefighters battle second west Belfast 5G mast fire in a week: ‘I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is'
Sergeant Burns said: "We attended this alongside colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who worked to extinguish the blaze of a 5G mast tower which had been set alight deliberately.
"This is just one of a number of 5G masts that have been set on fire in recent months and we have attended two fires in less than a week to masts in the same area.'
Sergeant Burns said those setting 5G masts alight are putting themselves and members of the public at risk.
He added: "I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is lighting fire to electrical equipment. Anyone setting an illegal fire is acting extremely recklessly and putting not only themselves, but also members of the public, at risk.
'The damage caused costs the mast-owners a substantial amount of money to correct, and affects the mobile phone service of the local community."
News Catch Up - Wednesday 11th June 2025
The attack brings the total number of 5G masts destroyed in the west Belfast area over the past two years to more than thirteen.
It follows a 5G mast in the Poleglass area being set alight at the weekend.
Two fire appliances and an aerial platform were tasked to the blaze in the Springbank Industrial estate in west Belfast at around 2.30pm on Saturday.
A survey carried out by Sinn Féin, published in the Andersonstown News in May, revealed that 87 percent of people in west Belfast reported that their phone signal was poor or very poor.
Only three percent of the 2,600 respondents stated their signal was good or excellent.
The report listed the top three areas for poor signal across West Belfast as being the Glen Road, Turf Lodge, and Andersonstown areas.
A police investigation into the attacks on 5G masts remains ongoing.
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