The NI Fire and Rescue Service has said it found about 100 tonnes of paper on fire at a recycling company in north Belfast.

It was called to Bailey Waste on the Limestone Road around 5 pm.

Forty-one firefighters were needed to deal with the blaze which had created a large plume of smoke.

NIFRS Group Commander Roy Purvis said crews were met by “a well-developed fire that was encroaching on the nearby school”.

Currie Primary School and Mountcollyer Youth Centre are beside Bailey Waste.

“Our priority was to stop the fire’s spread. There was some heat damage to the school, but we managed to stop the fire spreading,” added Mr Purvis.

People living in the area were urged to keep their doors and windows closed as a precaution.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

The Limestone Road was closed between its junctions with Hallidays Road and Atlantic Avenue but police have confirmed that it has now re-opened.

The PSNI says it has launched an arson investigation over the blaze.

Anyone with information about this incident, or anyone who may have been in the area of Limestone Road area and saw anything suspicious to call 101, and quote reference number 1582 of 05/07/21.

A report can also be made online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ 

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/