Muir ‘very disappointed' bonfire was lit despite warnings over asbestos
The bonfire at Meridi Street, off the Donegall Road, had been the focus of health warnings, political rows and legal challenges throughout the week before it was ignited on Friday.
Meanwhile, firefighters said they dealt with a 'challenging' situation on the Eleventh Night across Northern Ireland, including an attack on a firefighter attending a bonfire in Lisburn.
Hundreds of bonfires were set alight on Friday ahead of the Orange Order's July 12 parades on Saturday.
Controversy had surrounded the Meridi Street pyre, after warnings that there was asbestos on the site and that it was close to an electricity substation which powers the city's two main hospitals.
In a statement on Saturday, Mr Muir said: 'I am very disappointed with the decision to light the bonfire.
'Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) staff monitored events last night along with statutory partners throughout the night.
'We will be engaging with other statutory partners in the coming days as we all assess the impact of the bonfire.
'NIEA will also focus on the efforts by the landowner to remove the asbestos pile safely from the site in the time ahead and the environmental crime investigation will continue.
'As I have already stated, a review must also be undertaken looking at lessons that can be learned involving all statutory partners.'
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) area commander Andy Burns said they dealt with 277 emergency 999 calls between 6pm on Friday and 2am on Saturday.
He said: 'This resulted in our firefighters attending 194 operational incidents, 72 of which were bonfire related.
'Peak activity was between 10pm and 1am.
'During this period, the number of emergency calls received increased by 154% when compared to 2024.
'It was a challenging and extremely busy night for NIFRS with an increase in demand for our regional control centre and emergency response.'
He added: 'Disappointingly, a firefighter was attacked while attending a bonfire in Lisburn. They were not injured and remained on duty.
'This was an isolated incident and not reflective of the support shown to firefighters in carrying out their duties across the evening.'
Sinn Fein councillor Declan Lynch said it was 'absolutely disgraceful that a firefighter was attacked while simply doing their job'.
He added: 'Everyone should be able to celebrate their culture, but it must be done in a safe and respectful manner.
'Firefighters worked under difficult conditions last night to protect lives, property and infrastructure across the north.
'They deserve our full support and should never face violence for keeping our communities safe.'
Meanwhile, effigies of the Irish rap group Kneecap topped a different bonfire in south Belfast, and there was condemnation of the placing of Irish flags and sectarian slogans on other pyres in loyalist neighbourhoods.
A bonfire at Roden Street in Belfast was topped with effigies of Kneecap, as well as a sign written in the Irish language.
A bonfire in Eastvale Avenue in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, featured the group on a poster with the wording 'Kill Your Local Kneecap', seemingly in response to a clip that emerged from a gig in 2023, which appeared to show a member saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'
There was also criticism of the placing of Irish flags and sectarian slogans on a number of bonfires, including one in the Highfield area of west Belfast.
A small number of bonfires were lit on Thursday night, including a controversial pyre in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, which had been widely criticised by political representatives and church leaders after it was topped with an effigy of migrants in a boat.
The PSNI said they were investigating a hate incident in relation to the fire.
The boat on top of the bonfire contained more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets.
Below the boat were several placards, one saying: 'Stop the boats', and another saying: 'Veterans before refugees'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Legacy body appeals for witnesses to deaths of man and woman during Troubles
Fresh appeals have been made for witnesses to separate deaths of a man and a woman in west Belfast during the Troubles. The families of Teresa Carson and loyalist William Marchant have been described as waiting for many years for answers about the deaths of their loved ones. These appeals will involve distributing posters and organised leaflet drops in the areas relating to both investigations. Ms Carson, 47, was found dead at the side of the Glen Road in the early hours of Sunday November 24 1974. It is understood she had witnessed a robbery St John's GAC Social Club on Whiterock Road hours before. She was last seen in the grounds of the club at 12.15am getting into a white coloured car. Mr Marchant, 39, who was also known as Billy or Frenchie, was shot outside the Progressive Unionist Party offices on Shankill Road at approximately 3pm on April 28 1987, and later died in hospital. A brown coloured Datsun Bluebird car, registration number YOI 2557, was used in the attack. It had been hijacked earlier in the day after a family was held at gunpoint overnight at Tullymore Gardens in west Belfast. The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery has launched appeals for witnesses to come forward in relation to investigations into both deaths following requests from the victims' families. Assistant commissioner Amanda Logan said their families asked the Commission to help them find out what happened to their loved ones. 'We have always underlined the Commission's unwavering commitment to helping families find the unvarnished truth and this is at the centre of our witness appeals,' she said. 'The relatives of Teresa Carson and William Marchant believe that someone may hold vital information that could prove key to the investigations. 'These families have waited many years for answers and we at the Commission are committed to doing everything we can to support them. If members of the public have any information about either of these cases, please come forward.' She added: 'No matter how unimportant your information may seem, what you share could be vital to finding the truth for the families. All information we receive will be treated in the strictest confidence.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Suspect in fatal shooting of mother and her two children in Northern Ireland dies in hospital
The suspect in the fatal shooting of a mother and her two children in Northern Ireland has died. Ian Rutledge, a 43-year-old agricultural worker, had himself suffered a gunshot wound in the village of Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh on Wednesday morning. He was taken to hospital where he remained in a serious condition until the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced he had died on Monday evening. It is understood he was the only suspect in the murder investigation. a vet originally from County Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, were all shot dead at a property on Drummeer Road during the attack. The PSNI said last week that all four people who were shot were members of the same household. Police have been investigating whether the attack was a triple murder and attempted suicide. A prayer service took place for Ms Whyte and the two children in Barefield, County Clare on Sunday, following a community vigil in Maguiresbridge last Friday. A funeral service is expected to take place in County Clare later this week. Following Mr Rutledge's death, the PSNI said detectives have "reiterated their appeal for anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward". It comes after the PSNI issued an appeal on Saturday for information involving the movements of a vehicle. They have asked anyone who saw a silver Mercedes saloon car being driven in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler, on the evening of Tuesday 22 July to call detectives on 101. Read more from Sky News: Tributes paid to 'lovely-natured' children A local Gaelic football club said last week that Ms White and her children were all "active and beloved" members of their club. Sara and James Rutledge also used to be part of a local cricket club, which said in a statement that it was "extremely saddened by the tragic events". "Both of them turned out to be talented young cricketers and two absolutely lovely-natured children," the statement read. Flowers, teddy bears and an Arsenal football top with written notes were laid close to scene of the incident in Drummeer Road in the days after the shooting.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Call for Amazon tax to rebuild local communities year on from Southport riots
Communities which have lost pubs, piers and parks could be regenerated through a tax on wealthy firms such as Amazon in an effort to sow cohesion, a new report has suggested a year on from the summer riots. The trouble, which spread through parts of England and Northern Ireland following the Southport killings, should have been a 'wake-up call', the author of the report said. Disorder broke out after the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town on July 29 last year. It quickly spread to other areas, and mosques, community centres and libraries were attacked while hotels housing asylum seekers were also targeted. The far-right 'capitalised on Southport's disrepair to sow disorder', the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said, as the paper it commissioned noted a 'fight for investment in local amenities has garnered little attention' in the aftermath. The report warned of a 'pincer movement of abandonment and gentrification' which has gradually seen community spaces, such as the Southport pier which closed in 2022, lost and increased isolation of people in many areas. Referring to previous research, the report said 50 UK pubs close for good each month, an estimated 600 youth clubs shut between 2012 and 2016 and London lost almost 10 local authority-run community spaces a year between 2018 and 2023. It has suggested a '21st-century welfare fund' raised through a so-called Amazon tax, whereby warehouses and distribution centres are subject to higher levies or online sales taxes. It argued online retailers which build 'giant structures' – a demonstration of their high value – often do not contribute 'sufficiently to the communities around them'. A tax on companies with revenues over £1 million could help generate 'larger, more sustained resource for communities than current community regeneration efforts', it said. The report said: 'If there is a thread connecting the high-octane events of late July (2024) and the slow local politics of the pier, it is the loss of physical spaces where we might come together, and the radicalisation of some of the digital spaces that have replaced them. 'There is an appetite for community action, as the campaign for the pier shows, but a lack of investment and space. 'In the absence of structures which might foster wider solidarities, many retreat into the sphere of the home, or worse, into ethno-nationalist fantasies of muscular sovereignty.' Report author Dr Sacha Hilhorst said: 'The Southport riots were a wake-up call – a stark reminder of what can happen when communities lose the places that once brought people together. In the absence of shared spaces, misinformation and hate can fill the void, creating tinderbox conditions for violence. 'Rebuilding local infrastructure isn't just about nostalgia – it's a vital bulwark against division and the dangerous pull of the far right. 'But communities are not apathetic. They are crying out for places to gather, to organise, and to belong. We need a new generation of institutions to help them do just that.' Dr Parth Patel, associate director at the IPPR, said: 'Where shared spaces are lost, a sense of decline and disconnection takes root – and with it, dangerous alternatives thrive. 'The far right is exploiting the void where solidarity used to live – they capitalised on Southport's disrepair to sow disorder. 'If we're serious about social renewal, we must rebuild the civic infrastructure that once helped people support each other and shape their communities.' A government spokesperson said: 'The disorder that affected communities across the UK following the Southport tragedy highlighted the need for a new approach to community cohesion. 'It's clear that central government has lacked strategic focus on social cohesion for many years, which is why this government is working to develop a longer-term strategy to tackle divisions in our communities and build common ground. 'One of the most effective ways to respond to the frustrations that fester is by improving peoples' lives, and the places in which they live, and through our Plan for Neighbourhoods we are already investing £1.5 billion across 75 areas in the community services local people need and making real improvements they can see on their doorsteps and in their communities.'
