Firefighters praised after quick response to fire at historic building on Newcastle Quayside

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) received a call about a fire at a commercial property on Newcastle’s Quayside at 4:42pm Wednesday (March 2).

Six fire engines arrived at the scene and were followed by an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) and an Incident Command Unit (ICU), with almost 40 firefighters at the blaze in total.

The fire caused surrounding buildings to be evacuated for safety precautions and forced a number of roads to be closed.

One member of the public was treated for a minor injury at the scene having attempted to extinguish the fire themselves.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Peter Heath, said: “I want to thank our firefighters and fire control for their quick response to this incident.

“Their professionalism and fast action has helped save a building of historical importance.

“We had to use a number of different techniques to navigate around the building due to the lack of visibility and the building layout.

“I also want to thank our blue light colleagues for their support and response to the incident yesterday, as always we work together to keep our communities safe from harm.”

TWFRS crews left the scene just after 9:20pm and the fire investigation will begin today (Thursday) with support from Northumbria Police.

Anyone with information about the fire is being asked to contact the police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website, by calling 101 quoting reference number NP-20220302-0695. Or anonymously contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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