Fire at former college building in Ballymena believed deliberate

The scene outside the former Northern Regional College campus at Trostan Avenue, Ballymena on Sunday evening.

Firefighters from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) responded to a blaze at the former premises of the Northern Regional College on Trostan Avenue, Ballymena.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening (November 9) and is being treated as deliberate.

At 6:08pm, NIFRS received a call reporting a fire at the derelict building on Trostan Avenue. Two appliances from Ballymena Fire Station and one from Antrim Fire Station attended the scene.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus used one hose‑reel jet to extinguish the fire; the incident was dealt with by around 20:37.

A spokesperson for Northern Regional College said:

“We are aware of an incident at the Trostan Avenue site in Ballymena on Sunday evening.

“We understand that the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service and Police Service of Northern Ireland attended the scene and we are grateful for their response.”

The building in question is part of the college’s former estate in Ballymena. In June 2025 the college held a farewell event as it prepared to close the Trostan Avenue and Farm Lodge campuses.

The college is moved to a new, purpose‑built campus at the St Patrick’s Regeneration Site in Ballymena, which officially opened its doors last month for the 2025/26 academic year. The new facility has a footprint of approximately 16,800m² and represents an investment of around £55 million.

The former Trostan Avenue building status as vacant may have made it vulnerable to arson or other unwanted activity, although windows and doors on the ground floor and first floor were recently boarded up in a bid to prevent unwanted vandalism.

The quick response by NIFRS ensured the fire was contained before spreading further.