Neighbours shock as fire rips through Farringdon house

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a house fire at Abercorn Road in Farringdon at 5.41am on Tuesday, August 13 2019.

Neighbours said that they could see smoke bellowing out of the windows of the semi-detached house.

Stephen Bittlestone, 51, lives in the street, he said: “Before we heard the fire engines turn up, I could smell smoke in our house and got concerned.

“We heard banging and looked out the window. I saw firemen trying to smash the front door of the house, and smoke coming out of the upstairs windows.

“They couldn’t get into the house, so they ended up smashing the front room window to get in.”

Terry Smith, 61, lives next door, said: “The first we knew was the fire brigade banging on our door.

“We thought our house was on fire, then we realised it was next door. The owner is way, which is lucky because it could have been much worse.”

A spokesperson for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said that firefighters from Farringdon and two crews from Sunderland Central were called out to a house fire on Abercorn Road at 5.46am this morning (August 13).

They said: “The living room and its contents were 100% severely damaged by fire and smoke, whilst the kitchen had smoke damage. The remainder of the property was smoke damaged. Crews used two hose reels, breathing apparatus, positive pressure ventilation and thermal image cameras to help fight the fire.”

The fire service confirmed that there was no one in the property at the time and that crews left the scene on Tuesday morning.

The property is owned by Gentoo. Nigel Wilson, Chief executive officer at Gentoo, said: “We are aware of a fire at one of our rented properties on Abercorn Road.

“Thankfully nobody was inside of the property at the time and we have been in contact with the tenant to notify them of the incident.

“We will support the tenant during this difficult time and work with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to identify the cause of the fire.”