A controversial bonfire was set alight around early this morning in Belfast as a large crowd looked on.
Hundreds gathered at North Queen Street and Victoria Parade in North Belfast’s New Lodge district to see the pyre burned.
The bonfire was built to mark the anniversary of introduction of internment in Northern Ireland in 1971.
The anniversary has traditionally been marked by many from the nationalist and republican tradition with bonfires, although recent years have seen a move away from pyres towards community-based diversionary activities.
The New Lodge is a mainly nationalist area dominated by decades-old public housing blocks.
The move came after police withdrew from the area amid safety concerns before Stormont hired contractors could remove the bonfire, Belfast Live reports.
The fire got off to a slow start with several petrol bombs hurled at it as light rain started to sprinkle the area.
But it, along with a number of flags, was eventually eventually engulfed in flames.
The blaze produced such heat that onlookers started to move back.
After around half an hour the two story high construction began tilting before collapsing and sending sparks into the air.
