House fire victim says 'everything is gone'

A man who has lost his home after a fire gutted two terraced houses in County Antrim has said the blaze has destroyed everything his family owned.

Davy Haighton had lived in his house at Knockleigh Walk in Greenisland, Carrickfergus for the past 56 years.

He told BBC News NI that "everything is gone - clothes, money, documents, all our memories".

There was a bonfire nearby and the cause of the fire "is under investigation", the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said.

The Haighton family home was one of two houses gutted by the fire, which also damaged two other neighbouring properties in the terrace.

Mr Haighton explained that his wife was already asleep when he noticed a gate at the back of their house was ablaze.

"I realised this was serious, so I got up and straight away woke my wife up and told her to get out because this house was about to burn," he said.

The couple then walked to a nearby field and, powerless to save their home from the flames, they "watched as the house burnt".

Mr Haighton watching his family home burn down was "surreal".

"Fifty-four years of our life, all those memories and history, gone," he said.

The NIFRS deployed 45 firefighters to tackle the blaze, which also spread to several oil tanks and a shed.

It said it received a number of calls about the fire in Knockleigh Walk, the first being received just before 00:15 BST on Sunday.

"Some residents had to be evacuated from their properties, and our thoughts are with those who have been affected," its statement said.

"NIFRS would like to thank local partner agencies and the community for their help in support of the displaced families.

"The most probable cause is thought to be accidental and investigations remain ongoing."

On Saturday evening, some bonfires across Northern Ireland were lit ahead of the Orange Order's Twelfth of July parades.

NIFRS said it received a total of 303 emergency calls and responded to 151 operational incidents - 54 of which were bonfire related - between 18:00 BST on Saturday and 02:00 on Sunday.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it assisted the NIFRS in Knockleigh Walk, after a report was made at 00.20 on Sunday.

They added the fire has been "deemed accidental at this time".

Alliance East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson has called for a "full investigation" into the fire in Greenisland.

He expressed his "deepest sympathies" to the residents of the homes and thanked their "wonderful neighbours".

"The whole Greenisland community really rallied around the victims of the fire."

He said no one was hurt or injured in the fire.

Elsewhere, on Milner Street in Belfast, firefighters dealt with a garage fire following fire spread from a bonfire.

In Cookstown, County Tyrone, firefighters had to withdraw from a bonfire due to a "hostile crowd", NIFRS said.

Firefighters also responded to other incidents across the night including accidental house fires in Antrim and Coleraine and an articulated lorry fire in Newry.

"With further bonfires planned, we are prepared and ready to respond to all types of emergencies," said NIFRS Area Commander Dermot Rooney.

"We would encourage everyone to stay safe and make responsible choices throughout the remainder of the bank holiday weekend."

"With warm, dry weather continuing, we also ask anyone spending time outdoors to follow our countryside fire safety advice."

Last year, NIFRS received 277 emergency calls on the Eleventh night - more than twice as many as 2024 - between 18:00 and 02:00 BST. They said 72 of those were bonfire related.

Bonfires are lit every year in some unionist areas of Northern Ireland ahead of the Orange Order's parades which are traditionally held on 12 July to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

While most pass off without any controversy, some are contentious.

A man died after falling from an unlit bonfire in east Belfast on Friday night.

On Saturday anti-immigration slogans and images were prominently displayed at a number of bonfire sites across Belfast.

A bonfire in County Tyrone was widely condemned for having a replica mosque placed on top if it was set alight prematurely on Thursday, before police could remove it.

This year's Orange Order parades will be held on Monday 13 July.

This is because 12 July falls on a Sunday, which the Orange Order considers a religious day of rest.

While many communities decided to light their bonfires on Saturday, some will light theirs on Sunday - on the eve of the parades.