Bullitt Hotel: Belfast fire causes serious damage to rooftop bar

The blaze was brought under control by fire crews

A fire at the Bullitt Hotel in Belfast has caused serious damage, its owner has said.

The fire, which happened on Tuesday, is believed to have been accidental. No-one was hurt, with all staff and guests exiting the building safely.

Conall Wolsey, from owners Beannchor Group, said two rooms - the kitchen and plant room - at the hotel's rooftop bar have been destroyed.

"There is severe smoke and water damage to the building," he said,

He added that it could have been a lot worse, paying tribute to the fire service for their "speedy response."

The hotel is closed and will be for the rest of the week.

Mr Wolsey said engineers would assess the structural integrity of the building before anyone would be allowed back in.

"The team has been clearing out bedrooms of guests' possessions and returning them," he told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

'Breached through the roof'

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire could have spread to other buildings.

Group Commander David Harbinson told BBC News NI that firefighters had worked to stop the fire spreading across the roof.

"It was really down to the crews who stopped it becoming a major incident," he added.

Mr Harbinson said that when the fire service arrived the blaze was starting to become well-developed.

"It originated on the top floor and once it breached through the roof the oxygen started to feed the fire," he said.

Mr Harbinson said it had been a "complex operation" and the first objective was to ensure the hotel had been cleared of people.

When the fire broke through the top floor to the roof the oxygen started to feed it

"We deployed a number of firefighters in to confirm there were no people in the building," he told BBC's Good Morning Ulster.

"There are about 74 rooms in the hotel plus a large reception area and restaurant section, so we did have to deploy a serious amount of firefighters and we worked our way through the floors while also dealing with the fire at the same time," he said.

He said the fire's location made things more difficult.

"Trying to get the hose up to that location is a challenge. That was one plan of attack.

"The second option was to deploy our high-reach appliance.

"We have well-rehearsed plans for events like these and they worked very well for us on the day.

"Once we got our high-reach appliance that's when we really started we got on top of the fire," he added.

'Leaning towards an electrical fire'

Mr Harbinson said the fire was being treated as accidental.

"We had originally believed, from information we were given, that it was spread through an extraction system.

"Once we extinguished it, we believed it originated on the top floor and we are leaning towards an electrical fire but we will do a thorough investigation," he said.

"We aren't concerned as any malicious or deliberate acts," he added.

The fire was contained to back room areas.

"There was some smoke damage and water damage but this could have been a much more serious incident if it hadn't been for swift action of firefighters," said Mr Harbinson.

He thanked partner agencies, the PSNI, ambulance service, council and hotel management for the "collaborative effort between agencies".

The fire caused widespread traffic disruption during one of the busiest periods of the day for road users in the city centre.

Victoria Street was reopened on Tuesday night, having been closed between Ann Street and High Street while the fire was dealt with.