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The Journal
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Concerns that Eleventh Night bonfire may be putting power supply to Belfast hospitals at risk
THERE ARE CONCERNS that a bonfire planned for the Eleventh Night could cause power outages at the two main hospitals in Belfast City. The fire is to be located on a vacant lot off the Donegall Road, which also has a significant amount of asbestos on-site. It's about halfway between Belfast City Hospital and Royal Belfast Hospital. Nearby is a major electricity substation, which Northern Ireland Energy (NIE) said could be damaged by the fire, potentially leading to significant knock-on effects in the surrounding area. The Belfast Trust told the BBC that senior engineers will remain on site at Belfast City Hospital during the Eleventh night to act in the event of an outage. Bonfires are lit annually in some unionist areas of Northern Ireland the night before the Twelfth of July celebrations. The bonfires have grown in size over the years. Some are made of hundreds of wooden pallets that tower over communities and produce large volumes of smoke when burned. Former senior PSNI officer Jon Burrows told The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster that many agencies, from the police to the Council, need to come together to ensure that this bonfire can go ahead safely, or be cancelled altogether. 'The police can't blunder in these things alone. What they need to be doing is being part of a solution led by the likes of Belfast City Council,' he said. 'People have a right to have cultural traditions and they should be respected and protected, but bonfires should be safe, should be lawful and should be respectful.' Advertisement Wooden pallets stacked for a bonfire off Oldpark Road, Belfast, in 2023 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O'Toole said that loyalists have a right to celebrate their culture, but the bonfire, if held in this particular area, 'will pose a real risk to the public health of everyone in the vicinity'. He said that the Minister for the Environment, the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency nor Belfast City Council have taken responsibility for removing the asbestos. 'Allowing a bonfire to be lit beside asbestos would not be allowed to happen in any other jurisdiction and we shouldn't have to put up with it here,' he said in a statement. 'This will pose a real risk to the public health of everyone in the vicinity of this bonfire and it's clear that given how harmful this material is it will be almost impossible to mitigate that risk.' A man waving a Union Jack flag in front of a bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast on the 11 July, 2019 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Former DUP Health Minister Jim Wells told The Nolan Show that if he were in office, he would engage immediately with the bonfire organisers 'to ensure that the bonfire did not cause any damage to essential infrastructure'. Wells said he'd like to see a return to smaller displays so that people can celebrate the Eleventh Night but 'you wouldn't know there'd been anything there the following morning after the clear up'. 'That's a way the loyalist community can celebrate its culture without causing damage to its own community and antagonism to others,' he said. 'We cannot, over the Twelfth weekend, endanger the power supplies to our major hospitals, because there'll be many people at bonfires who may well end up in A&E for various reasons.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Hospital power outage concerns at asbestos-laden bonfire site
There are concerns that the power supply has been put at risk at Belfast City Hospital because of an Eleventh night bonfire. The bonfire has been built near a major electricity substation between the Donegal Road and the Belfast Trust said "senior engineers will remain on site" at the hospital during the Eleventh Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it expressed concerns over the bonfire's "proximity to the substation causing potential risk to critical infrastructure and power outages". Bonfires are lit annually in some unionist areas across Northern Ireland to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the parading season. In a statement to The Nolan Show, the network said it has put mitigations in place, including turning off the transformers adjacent to the bonfire, building scaffolding with metal sheeting around the transformers and placing steel plates on open cable ducts to reduce the risk of fire and damage. However it warned that "there will be a reduction in security of supply for the area"."We would remind the public that flames near to power lines and electricity substations pose serious risk to everyone's safety and wellbeing," NIE added. The Department of Health said the Health Minister Nesbitt would be visiting the bonfire site on Tuesday. Former Senior Police Officer Jon Burrows told the show that there was a need for this in a "clear multi-agency chairing a meeting with all the relevant people, fire service, landowners, the council and the environment agency" to address public safety concerns. "People have a right to have cultural traditions and they should be respected and protected but bonfires should be safe, should be lawful," he added. Asbestos concerns The bonfire site has recently been the subject of concerns over asbestos that agencies and authorities said they were "unable" to remove. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said in a statement on the asbestos concerns and said it had put in place mitigations "over the past week including the further covering of the asbestos containing material, the use of fire-retardant material and the erection of additional fencing".It added that the department is in "ongoing contact with the council". The committee also considered a proposal from the SDLP to employ licensed contractors to remove the asbestos. The council heard that would cost a six-figure sum. The motion was voted Monday the SDLP's Matthew O'Toole told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme on Monday that the situation, in relation to asbestos, "is absolutely bonkers". "It is unacceptable that my constituents including people who actually want to attend that being put at risk." On Monday former UUP Belfast City Councillor Chris McGimpsey told BBC's Talkback programme the issue around asbestos is not about bonfires and "could have been dealt with immediately". "Everyone is passing resolutions but no one is doing anything about it."Last month Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor Tracy Kelly expressed concern but warned against "scaremongering"."It's a very, very big bonfire site and the bonfire is not where this asbestos is. It's on another part of the site," she said. Belfast City Council (BCC) said the land in which the bonfire sits is the "responsibility of the landowner" who "appointed a contractor" when the council issued a notice about the asbestos issue. It added that more mitigation measures including "further covering of the asbestos containing material, additional fencing in the area around the asbestos and the use of fire retardant material as an added precaution" were agreed to be taken by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, last Thursday. Last month council said it previously took enforcement action and secured the site due to asbestos in 2011.
