Large gang throws rocks at firefighters in further sickening incident in Sunderland - chief says crews will now only attend some blazes if they have a police escort

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer Chris Lowther say crews will now only attend secondary fires in the Downhill area when Northumbria Police area able to provide support.

Secondary fires are generally small outdoor fires, not involving people or property.

On Saturday night (September 5), firefighters were called to a bin fire in Downhill where they were set upon by a large number of youths who attacked them with stones and made threats of violence.

Mr Lowther said on twitter: “Last night fire crews were AGAIN attacked with stones and threats of violence in the Downhill area of Sunderland. Crews at a bin fire were set upon by a large number of youths.

"We will now only attend secondary fires in this area when Northumbria Police are available to go with us.”

The attack on Saturday night is the second unacceptable incident in three days after a gang of 15 youths threw rocks and stones at a crew who were called to reports of a blaze in a field, to the rear of a sports complex, in the Downhill area of the city on Thursday, September 3.

Firefighters were ‘pelted’ with rocks and stones which smashed the windscreen of the targeted response vehicle – meaning it had to be taken out of service for repair.

The crews were forced to retreat and wait for police support.

Mr Lowther said previously the attacks are putting lives at risk while crews work on the front lines.

In a statement on Friday, he said: “It is absolutely unacceptable that firefighters, who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, are being attacked in the line of duty.

“We’re seeing attacks on crews happening more often, I don’t want to go to a firefighter’s home and have to tell their family they have been injured in an attack.

"Fortunately the crew were uninjured last night but we now have a fire appliance unable to respond to emergencies because of the dangerous actions of these individuals.”

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