Sandy Row bonfire: Damaged flats being repaired

Image copyright Courtesy of Ken Early

Image caption Firefighters worked to protect the apartment building in Belfast

Repairs to a block of flats in Belfast that was damaged by an Eleventh night bonfire are under way, the BBC has learnt.

The bonfire in Sandy Row shattered windows and damaged the exterior of Victoria Place on Wellwood Street.

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Media captionBonfire burns close to Belfast apartment block

The firm that manages the building, MB Wilson, said repairs were about one-third complete.

It said the remaining flats would be repaired within 10 days.

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MB Wilson added residents awaiting repairs were scheduling access with a glazing firm, Hunter Glazing, which needed to carry out repairs from inside each affected flat.

In the aftermath of the bonfire, it was unclear who would pay to repair the damage to the building.

Image copyright Courtesy of Ken Early

Image caption The Sandy Row bonfire came very close to a ten-storey apartment block in Wellwood Street

Residents also held a public meeting expressing their concerns, and were given assurances that such damage would never be allowed to happen again.

Image caption The ten-storey apartment block in Wellwood Street

Image caption The bonfire caused damage to windows of the ten-storey block of flats near Belfast's Sandy Row

The Housing Executive, which owns the land where the bonfire was built, said "further meetings" would take place to address residents' concerns.