Police are today questioning a patient from a mental hospital after a
fire damaged a ward at the Knockbracken Healthcare Park in south Belfast.
The man was detained after seven patients on the ward had to be evacuated by staff when a fire broke out late last night.
Police were called to the hospital following a disturbance at the Copeland ward; shortly afterwards, the fire was discovered in the unit, which houses young mentally ill patients.
Nursing staff moved the patients to safety and they spent the night in alternative accommodation in the hospital grounds. As a precaution, a nearby ward which houses older patients was also evacuated.
Around 25 firefighters tackled the fire, but the ward was badly damaged, and it is believed the single-storey building will have to be demolished.