Parish in shock after Greenisland church blaze

Parishioners in Greenisland said they were in shock after a large fire at the Church of the Holy Name on Sunday evening.

Firefighters are still at the scene of the blaze at at the Church of Ireland building in Station Road.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said three pumps remained at the church in the early hours of Monday.

At the height of the fire there were nine appliances and 49 firefighters at the scene.

In a statement, the church said it was "heartbroken but also so thankful - to the fire crews, to the local community, to our neighbours who sounded the alarm, and so thankful that no-one was hurt".

On Sunday evening, a statement on Greenisland Parish Church's social media said there was a "terrible fire" and that fire crews were "desperately trying to stop it from spreading to the whole building".

Alliance Party councillor Aaron Skinner commended the work of firefighters but described the scene as "horrendous".

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said Station Road was closed and advised people to seek alternate routes.

Mr Skinner said the fire could not have come at a worse time, with the Church of Ireland parish celebrating its 70th anniversary at the weekend.

He said some parishioners told him they were at the church just hours before the fire began.

Mr Skinner said the church hall, which is attached to the main church building, looked like it had been completely destroyed and that the full scale of the damage may not be known for hours.

The Bishop of Connor the Right Reverend George Davison said he had been at the church at the weekend for the 70th anniversary celebrations and returned on Sunday evening after hearing about the "terrible fire".

"It was heartbreaking to watch and to stand with so many parishioners who couldn’t quite believe what we were witnessing," he said.

"I’m so thankful that no-one was hurt and very grateful to the members of the Fire Service and the PSNI for all their efforts."