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File pic: A British Army Soldier on patrol at Palace Barracks. Associated Press
Fire Bomb
Blaze at army base in Co Down engulfs cars and garages
In 2010, the Real IRA planted a bomb at the same barracks.
A POSSIBLE FIRE bomb may have caused an explosion and fire at an army base in Holywood, Co Down.
The blast, inside a parcel delivery van at Palace Barracks, happened at around 10.30am.
A fire that broke out in the aftermath of the explosion spread to two other vehicles and garages nearby.
The postal worker wasn’t in the van when it happened.
“Due to the damage caused by fire and water, the exact nature or make up of the device that caused the explosion has yet to be established,” Superintendent Karen Baxter of the PSNI Serious Crime Branch said.
“Although we have no information to suggest there may be other similar packages in the postal system we are working closely with Royal Mail to mitigate any potential risk.”
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service responded immediately, the PSNI said this evening.
The BBC reports that it may have been caused by an incendiary device.
In 2010, the Real IRA admitted planting a car bomb that exploded outside the base. It had been placed in a taxi hijacked about seven miles away.
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