Ambulance Fire at Daisy Hill

Update 1.30pm

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The ambulance was a private ambulance run by Belfast company Proparamedics who explained how thier crew reacted quickly when the fire broke out and moved the vehicle to an area where the least amount of damage would be caused. A spokesperson said "Due to the rapid action of the crew the ambulance was placed to cause least damage and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service arrived on scene very rapidly and extinguished the fire. No one was hurt."

They added "The vehicle is being recovered and the incident will be fully investigated. There is no break in our provision of assistance due to back up vehicles. A big thank you to our emergency service colleagues."

Newry and Armagh MP Mickey Brady praised the ambulance crew and emergency services for their quick reaction "News of a fire which broke out in an ambulance at Daisy Hill Hospital this morning is very concerning.Thankfully no one was injured in the incident.

"I want to commend the actions of the ambulance crew and the emergency services for extinguishing the blaze.

"There now needs to be an investigation into how this fire started and what the fault was to ensure that it does not happen again."

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An ambulance has been extensively damaged by fire this morning in Newry.

The ambulance burst into flames at the entrance to the car park at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry around 9am this morning. A loud explosion was heard at the time with one local resident explaining that their house shook.

A fire service crew brought the fire swiftly under control and there are no reports of any injuries.

It's believed that no patient was on board at the time.