Strabane: Coffin business owners 'devastated' by large fire

The owners of a 113-year-old coffin-making business have said they are "completely devastated" after it was destroyed in a large fire.

The fire at O'Doherty's on Railway Street in Strabane started on Sunday afternoon as storms hit the north west.

Local people have told BBC News NI that they believe the blaze was linked to a thunder and lightning storm.

Manus and Charles O'Doherty said the fire "has destroyed our much loved family business".

"O'Doherty & Sons Ltd has been a part of Railway Street since 1908 and we've been part of the fabric of Strabane town. It's therefore a sad day for us to see so much of our family history destroyed by this fire" the owners said in a statement.

"As a family we are absolutely devastated that a fire has destroyed our much loved family business."

The businessmen thanked the fire service and the "employees, customers, suppliers, the public, and local businesses for their many messages of support at this tough time".

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the blaze.

Fire service district commander Andy Russell said a lightning strike will be one line of enquiry for investigators.

"Though we will have to wait until we can conclude that investigation, that will be one of the lines of investigation"," he told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

At the height of the fire, 80 firefighters, 10 fire engines and four special appliances were at the scene.

"The fire quickly engulfed this premises. At a different time of day, different day of the week, we would definitely have been faced with a more horrific scene," Mr Russell said.

"It was a substantial fire, I have no doubt that the hard work of the crews ensured this fire was contained and they managed to stop the spread to surrounding commercial and residential premises".

West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said his thoughts are with the O'Doherty family.

"This is a family who have been on this street for 113 years," Mr McCrossan said.

"I cannot get out of my mind today the impact this has had on this family and on the community. It hits very hard for people, this is one of the oldest longest surviving businesses in this town."

A number of the businesses' 27 employees were at the premises on Monday morning to see how they could help, he added.

Mr McCrossan had earlier told BBC News NI that he had heard an "explosion" on Sunday afternoon and said there had been a "very loud lightning strike in the wider area".

Derry City and Strabane District Council had warned the public to be cautious of flooding across the area on Sunday as storms hit.

The Western Trust said part of its new waiting area in the Emergency Department at Altnagelvin Hospital had to be closed due to minor flooding.

DUP Foyle MLA Gary Middleton told BBC Radio Foyle a number of homes and businesses in Londonderry were badly affected.

"We are still assessing the overall damage. Two of the families we were with yesterday afternoon have had to go to alternative accommodation".

Claudia Kassova and Daniel Fray are one of the families whose homes have been damaged by flood water.

They returned home on Sunday afternoon to find a burst manhole at the rear of their Waterside home.

"The water just came out of nowhere and was gushing through. We just couldn't stop it. There was nothing we could have done," Claudia told BBC News NI.

"When the manhole burst, everything was just coming up".

The couple said everything in the downstairs floor of their home "is ruined".

The lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge in Londonderry was obstructed from the Duke Street direction by a car in flood water.

The council's mayor, DUP councillor Graham Warke, tweeted a picture showing flooding on the lower deck.

Portstewart Promenade remains closed to traffic on Monday morning due to structural damage caused by heavy rain, but pedestrian access has been reinstated.

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Richard Holmes said rainwater had backed up in the pipes under the promenade and could "not get away fast enough".

He said work had been carried out overnight and it is hoped the road will be repaired later on Monday.

Businessman Damian Morelli said the road "had had lifted slightly in places," following a thunderstorm at about 18:00 on Sunday evening.

"Basically the water started to lie on the promenade, run down the promenade, and then all of a sudden, the surface of the road started to break up in places," he said.

Mr Morelli said businesses would trade as normal on Monday.

A yellow weather warning from the Met Office had been in place across the west of Northern Ireland until midnight on Sunday. A further warning for heavy, occasionally thundery, showers is in place for Northern Ireland until 20:00 on Monday.