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Buses ' burnt to a crisp' in arson attack

Pacemaker Two burnt out buses, one is black metal melted parts and another still has a partial boyd frame, it is a white bus with pink writing that says Allen's Tours. There is other debris at the buses and a police cordoned line with white and red tape - in red it says DO NOT CROSS and POLICE CORDON Pacemaker
Four buses were destroyed in the fire which police are treating as deliberate

The owner of a Belfast tour company has said four of his buses were "burnt to a crisp," in a fire at an industrial estate.

Police said they are treating the blaze in Dunmurry, where the buses were parked, as "deliberate arson".

Officers were called to the scene by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) at about 22:15 GMT on Wednesday.

Ben Allen, owner of Allen's Tours based in Sandy Row, was at the scene and said he drove one of the buses away from the flames.

Three fire engines sit near the scene of the fire
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, pictured at the scene, said the fire was "challenging" for its crews to deal with

Mr Allen told BBC News NI that two of his coaches, a double-decker and an open-top bus were "destroyed" in the fire on Wednesday.

The four vehicles were among a fleet of six.

"I got a call and got here as soon as I could," he said.

"I actually had to jump into one of the open-top buses to drive it away from the flames.

"I managed to get that one away, but only just."

Mr Allen said he had CCTV footage that showed the flames as they first appeared.

NIFRS said five fire appliances attended the scene.

Intense fire for crews

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, NIRFS Group Commander Danny Ard said it was an "intense fire for crews to deal with".

"We had a total of four buses on fire... it demands a significant amount of water... the energy in a bus fire is very significant.

"We had an additional challenge with nearby power cables as well so quite intense fire for crews to deal with and indeed getting enough water down to deal with such an energetic fire was challenging as well for crews."

He said there was no threat to life and added that the circumstances of the fire have yet to be determined and the PSNI will be investigating it alongside the NIFRS.

A man stares at the camera in a close up shot. He has very blue eyes and short red hair.
"I actually had to jump into one of the open-top buses to drive it away from the flames," Mr Allen says

Mr Allen thanked the fire service for being able to save the other buses.

"Twenty employees could have been coming in here with no work and it's really only thanks to the fire service being able to save the open top buses."

An inspector from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "We remain at the scene carrying out enquiries, and are treating this fire as deliberate arson."

Officers have appealed for anyone with information about the attack, or who has footage filmed near the scene on Wednesday night, to contact them.