A major incident was declared on Saturday after a huge fire broke out in Liverpool.
Firefighters were called to a blaze on Fox Street not long after 2pm and arrived to find a four-storey building measuring 100 metres by 50 metres “well alight”.
The building was showing signs of collapse and fire crews and police had to evacuate buildings, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) said.
Images on social media showed thick plumes of smoke over the city centre.
Lara Buchanan, a trainee teacher from Liverpool, said she could “feel the heat” of the blaze from her car as she left the Kingsway Tunnel after driving over from the Wirral.
The 23-year-old said: “I could see the fire before entering the tunnel but didn’t know where it was coming from.
“As I came out of the tunnel into Liverpool, the sky was dark and all I could see was a black rolling cloud.
“The building was blazing alight and I could feel the heat from the car driving past.”
Another teacher, 41-year-old Jose Garcia, who has lived in the city for 20 years, said it was the “biggest fire I have seen in Liverpool”.
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There was “huge, thick, black smoke going up into the city”, he added.
Another Liverpool resident, who did not want to be named, said smoke “pretty much covered half of the skyline”.
He added: “As soon as I got out of the car I could smell what I can only describe as burning plastic. It was pretty strong and I’m over the water in New Ferry.”
People were advised to avoid the area, while those nearby were being encouraged to close windows and doors.
The fire was divided into four sectors and firefighters were wearing breathing apparatus, the service said.
There were no reports of any casualties.
Late on Saturday afternoon, MFRS said it was no longer a major incident.
“Successful firefighting tactics have resulted in the fire being greatly reduced, with the main body of fire now extinguished,” it said.
In a later update, MFRS said crews were still dealing with “hot spots and small pockets of fire”.
Nearby residents were being allowed to return home.
Ireland is pledging emergency legislation enabling it to send asylum seekers back to the UK.
More than 80% of recent arrivals in the republic came via the land border with Northern Ireland, Irish justice minister Helen McEntee told a parliamentary committee last week.
Ireland’s deputy prime minister has said the threat of deportation to Rwanda is causing migrants to head for Ireland instead of the UK.
Micheal Martin said the policy was already affecting Ireland because people are “fearful” of staying in the UK.
The former taoiseach told The Daily Telegraph: “Maybe that’s the impact it was designed to have.”
Simon Harris, Ireland’s latest leader, has asked Ms McEntee to “bring proposals to cabinet to amend existing law regarding the designation of safe ‘third countries’ and allowing the return of inadmissible international protection applicants to the UK”, a spokesman said.
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Ms McEntee said she will be meeting UK Home Secretary James Cleverly in London on Monday.
“There are many reasons why we have seen an increase in migration towards Ireland,” she told RTE.
“My focus as minister for justice is making sure that we have an effective immigration structure and system.
“That’s why I’m introducing fast processing, that’s why I’ll have emergency legislation at cabinet this week to make sure that we can effectively return people to the UK, and that’s why I’ll be meeting with the home secretary to raise these issues on Monday.”
People are now “worried” about coming to the UK, Rishi Sunak has said.
He told Sky News: “If people come to our country illegally, but know that they won’t be able to stay here, they are much less likely to come, and that’s why the Rwanda scheme is so important.”
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Are migrants fleeing from UK to Ireland?
Mr Sunak said the comments from Irish politicians show that “illegal migration is a global challenge”.
“[That] is why you’re seeing multiple countries talk about doing third country partnerships, looking at novel ways to solve this problem, and I believe [they] will follow where the UK has led,” he said.
Shadow minister Wes Streeting said it was unlikely a Labour government would bring people back from Rwanda if some are sent there.
“Once people are settled in Rwanda, they’re settled in Rwanda,” he told Sky News, adding it was doubtful that Labour would “unpick that situation”.
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Regarding illegal migration in general, he said it required “putting the money that’s gone to Rwanda into the National Crime Agency so we can have proper cross-border policing to tackle the criminal gangs, speeding up the processing of decision-making, making sure we’ve got serious returns agreements with other countries”.
The duke is expected to provide a reading at the event, which marks a decade since the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014.
The games were founded as a sporting event for injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
Actor Damian Lewis is set to recite the Invictus poem during the service.
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Representatives from across the Invictus Games participating nations, including members of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veteran community, will also be in attendance.
Fire and ambulance services also attended, Durham Constabulary said.
Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland, who is leading the investigation, said: “Officers are keen to speak to anyone who was travelling on the A19 at around 12.20pm to 12.30pm who may have mobile phone or dashcam footage which captures the moments leading up to the incident.
“Our thoughts remain with the man’s family at this time.”