Police in Belfast are investigating the cause of an overnight fire in Belfast. Three people were rescued from the fire, which broke out at a block of flats in the north of the city last night. A number of local residents were treated for smoke inhilation.
Police said the fire was suspicious and have called for any witnesses to come forward.
Twenty fire fighters were deployed, and fire crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the four-storey building on Clifton Park Avenue, which is a hostel.
The three, thought to be in their twenties, were treated by paramedics at the scene.
The ground floor apartment where the fire started was gutted in the blaze.
A smoke alarm had been fitted but failed to work. "It was wired to the mains and there was a power supply to it, but it didn't sound," said a fire officer.