Police said the building had been “totally gutted” by the blaze
Emergency services in attendance at a fire in a former gospel hall on the Shankill Road(Image: NI Emergency Response Vids)
A fire at a former gospel hall in Belfast is being treated as a racially-motivated arson attack, police have confirmed.
Police were called to the scene on the Shankill Road at around 2.45am on Saturday, June 6, with the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) confirming the fire had been caused by “deliberate ignition to the roof”, with the building “totally gutted” by the blaze.
In a statement, the PSNI said the out-of-use building had been “bought by legitimate business people who would have brought jobs to the local community.”
The NIFRS said three appliances attended the scene from Springfield, Westland, and Central fire stations alongside a Turntable Ladder appliance.
Officers forced entry to the building, with a drone and jets also used to tackle the blaze. Images from the scene show the road was sealed off for a period of time, but has since reopened.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service said no injuries were reported but “significant damage” was caused to the building. Fire crews were in attendance at the scene until around 5am.
PSNI Superintendent Finola Dornan said: “Just after 2.45am, we received a report from our colleagues in Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service that they were attending a fire at an old Gospel Hall on the Shankill Road.
“On police arrival, Fire Service confirmed that the fire had been caused by deliberate ignition to the roof. The building had been totally gutted by the blaze.
“Our detectives have begun carrying out enquiries and the community will see a police presence in the area today.”
Superintendent Dornan continued: “This out-of-use building had been bought by legitimate business people who would have brought jobs to the local community and, as with any crime motivated by hate, we will be providing them with an enhanced level of supervision, investigation and support.
“As a Police Service, we do not underestimate the impact hate-related crimes have on victims, their families and wider communities. While we have a key role to play in tackling, preventing and supporting victims of hate incidents and hate crimes, this is a wider societal issue which cannot be resolved by policing alone.
“We continue to work closely with our statutory and voluntary partner agencies and the local community to find solutions.
“We would encourage anyone with information in relation to this arson attack to contact us on 101, quoting reference 187 06/06/26. We would be particularly keen to hear from anyone with relevant CCTV, dashcam or other footage.”
Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/
Information can also be provided anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
