THE PSNI has launched an arson probe after a huge blaze erupted at the old Crumlin Road courthouse in north Belfast.

The massive fire started at around 2.43 am on Monday, June.

The Fire and Rescue Service deployed 25 firefighters, three appliances and an aerial appliance trying to dampen down the blaze.

It has been brought under control but crews are still at the scene.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said the cause “is believed to have been deliberate ignition”.

The Crumlin Road courthouse is one of Northern Ireland’s most distinctive buildings.

The courthouse closed in 1998, after nearly 150 years of use.

The listed building, which has planning permission to be converted to a hotel, was put on the marked in 2019.