Firefighters in Derry were forced to retreat from the scene of a factory blaze early yesterday because of fears that large gas cylinders inside the premises could explode.
The Foyleside Engineering factory at Bligh's Lane, Creggan, was extensively damaged in the fire. Ten people are employed in the factory, and PSNI forensic officers were examining the scene yesterday to determine the cause of the outbreak.
Station Officer John Gourney of the Northland Road fire station said 20 firefighters struggled for two hours to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings.
"We used three appliances and three specialised hydraulic units to fight what was a very large and potentially dangerous fire," he said.
"An immediate danger to the firefighters was the presence of quite a few large gas cylinders inside the burning factory. Because of danger of explosions, we had to retreat on one occasion 200 yards from the fire. If one of those had gone up, there would have been widespread damage to properties.
"Fortunately none of the cylinders exploded," Mr Gourney said.