Firefighter hit with cricket ball-sized rock thrown from second-floor window while tackling blaze at old Farringdon police station

A firefighter who was hit by a cricket ball-sized rock while tackling a blaze at a derelict former Sunderland police station has urged parents to help crews and educate young yobs not to “want to hurt someone for just doing their job.”
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Nathan Gray came under attack while he and crew members were dealing with a fire at the former Farringdon station. The 40-year-old spotted someone on the second floor of the building throw something out of a window towards him, which turned out to be a lump of breeze block that hit hom on the shoulder.

Thankfully, the dad-of-two wasn’t injured but the incident highlights the dangers faced by firefighters on duty.

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Nathan, who is based at Farringdon Community Fire Station, said: “We’d had a number of issues at that site, to the point where a crew was there every other night putting out secondary fires. The old Police Station is completely derelict and is a very dangerous environment for people to be inside – we had concerns for the safety of those who were entering as they could find themselves in need of rescuing.

Crew Manager Nathan Gray was attacked in Sunderland.Crew Manager Nathan Gray was attacked in Sunderland.
Crew Manager Nathan Gray was attacked in Sunderland.

"So when we attended that night, we knew what might happen and brought the police and neighbourhood warden along with us. The rock hit my shoulder but luckily I wasn’t hurt, but I told my crew to get into the appliance quickly and we left the scene - we saw them run off as we were leaving.

“I just don’t understand why you would want to hurt someone for just doing their job, it’s disappointing. Most of my crew live in the local community too and we just want to keep the public and our families safe and shouldn’t be punished for that.”

Nathan shared his experience in the run-up to Bonfire Night and at a time when Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) says attacks on crews have doubled in the last 12 months across the area it covers. The brigade is currently running its Darker Nights campaign, which aims to highlight the dangers around fires and fireworks and urges parents to help crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Andrew Nelson, Station Manager for Farringdon Community Fire Station, said: “It’s tough to see and hear about my crews getting attacked when they go out to extinguish deliberate fires. It’s like they are being lured into those situations and I want to make it clear that behaviour is completely unacceptable. If a firefighter or fire appliance is injured or sustains damage then it is unable to respond to life risk incidents which could have huge consequences. We ask that you have open and honest conversations with your children about the consequences of their actions. We shouldn’t suffer violence at work because you find it funny.”