‘Important loss’ for charity as Bangor shop gutted by arson
BBC
A man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage after a fire at a charity shop.
Police received a report of the fire at Action Cancer clothing shop on Market Street in Bangor at about 04:00 BST on Friday.
A window had also been smashed on a door at another business close by.
The police said the blaze caused “substantial damage” to the shop.
A number of shops on Market Street are assessing damage, one business owner said they had smoke damage but plan to open their shop.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service sent four appliances to the scene but have since put out the blaze.
‘Sad loss for the charity’
Speaking to BBC News NI outside the store this morning, Action Cancer CEO Gareth Kirk said the damage is a “sad loss”.
“It’s an important loss for us,” Mr Kirk said.
He said the store was an “important source of income” to allow the charity to deliver services of free breast screening, skin cancer and mental health supports for people with cancer.
“The revenue is very important and so it will have an impact on the charity and that’s a great pity,” Mr Kirk said.
“I’d be really confident, again, we will have a store in Bangor, our boutique store. As to when, I don’t know, these things take time.”
Next door to Action Cancer is Marie Dargan’s florist shop.
She told BBC News NI that she first heard of the fire on the news when she was eating her breakfast at 06:30.
“There’s a lot of smoke damage, a lot of water damage, the smell of smoke, but thankfully that’s all there is. I was very, very lucky,” Ms Dargan said.
“All the staff have been helping out with cleaning as we go. We have the ventilation going on, the fan and the door open, and just hope for the best.”
Police remain at the scene and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.
