The New Lodge bonfire was set alight around midnight today 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 controversial pyre burned.
The move came after police withdrew from the area amid safety concerns before Stormont hired contractors could remove the bonfire.
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.
The burning remains were still well alight shortly before 1am today.
Keep up-to-date with all the very latest news, what's on, sport and everything else in Belfast and beyond with the Belfast Live app.
Only select news that interests you by picking the topics you want to display on the app's homepage. Plus, our enhanced user experience includes live blogs, video, interactive maps and slick picture galleries. Download it now and get involved.
Click here to get it from the App Store or here for Google Play .
