See dramatic pictures of firefighters tackling 'incredibly dangerous' blaze at Washington petrol station following motorcycle fire

One appliance from Washington and another from Birtley were sent to the petrol station on Heworth Road in Washington after being alerted to the fire at 3.26pm yesterday (October 25).

Fire crews were on the scene in just six minutes, where they found the fire had spread to the adjacent pump, leading to fears of a potentially “disastrous explosion, in a matter of minutes”.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service manager, Andy Blower, said: “A fire at a petrol station is incredibly dangerous – there is an abundance of flammable materials that could lead to disaster so the speed of the response is crucial.

“The fact that we were on scene in less than six minutes is a testament to those involved but that was just one aspect of our response.

"The firefighters deserve a lot of praise for quickly evacuating the premises and simultaneously tackling the flames.

"Within minutes the fire was fully extinguished without anyone suffering from any serious injuries.”

Andy also reserved special praise for the station’s staff in preventing the blaze from spreading.

He said: “This was a fantastic response from all the staff involved, from the fire control staff who took the call to the firefighters who responded and the petrol station staff who isolated the pump.

“I want to praise everyone involved in this response, and the staff at the petrol station, for keeping communities in Concord safe and we hope it reassures our wider communities that we will be here if you ever need us.”

The fire was witnessed by Lucy Bridge, Manager at Lloyds Pharmacy, opposite the petrol station, who had to evacuate her work premises over fears the blaze could spread.

She said: “It was quite surprising really, not the kind of thing you expect to happen when you’re at work.

"A man off the street came in and told us we should get out the building, just in case, and we waited outside for about 20 minutes while it was dealt with.”