A blaze at a Co Armagh retail park on Thursday afternoon was a ‘controlled’ fire which got out of hand, according to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
Plumes of smoke could be seen from a mile away as the blaze engulfed a derelict building on the Marlborough Retail Park in Craigavon.
The former B&Q building suffered only minor damages as fire crews dealt with the incident in just over half an hour.
Two appliances attended, one from Lurgan Fire Station and one from Portadown Fire Station, following the call around 2.45pm.
According to the NIFRS it was a case of “controlled burning” which had spread to the main building.
A NIFRS spokesperson said: “Firefighters dealt with a fire and provided advice. The cause of the fire was determined as accidental and the incident was dealt with at 3.20pm.”
The site is to be completely revamped with Marks and Spencers set to open a Simply Food outlet in 2018, creating in the region of 80 jobs.
Earlier this month Armagh I exclusively revealed that Sports Direct is planning to open a massive store as an anchor tenant at the retail park.
The leading retailer has signed up to take one of the four units planned as part of the ongoing development in Craigavon.
Read more: Sports Direct and Starbucks to open at new Co Armagh retail park
Main image: SDLP representative John Creaney
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