Two people taken to hospital following apartment fire in Ireland’s tallest building

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has said they were called to reports of a fire in the Obel Tower building on Friday morning.

Towering 85 metres above the city, the Obel is famous as Ireland's tallest building.

A spokesperson for NIFRS said six fire appliances, an aerial appliance and a Command Support Unit, 42 firefighters and five officers were in attendance at the blaze, which occurred at around 6.20am.

The fire service assisted two casualties to safety. They were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

In September, the High Court heard how “lives are being put at risk by alleged fire protection defects” in the building. Counsel for the management company and original developers of the Obel Tower in Belfast claimed safety issues related to cladding have not been denied.

In January 2015, a number of residents from the upper floors were asked to leave their apartments after a fire broke out on the roof. It was later ruled accidental.

Construction on the 27-floor building, which houses over 200 luxury high-end apartments, began in 2005 and was completed in 2011.