Yahoo News Dozens of firefighters called to tackle early morning blaze in Sunderland city centre as police treat incident as suspected arson
Officers are treating a large fire which broke out in Sunderland city centre this morning as suspected arson.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service deployed 30 firefighters, seven fire appliances, including an Aerial Ladder Platform, to tackle the fire at commercial premises on Villiers Street in Sunderland city centre. Fire crews were alerted to the incident at midnight, which focused on two buildings as part of the commercial garage.
No-one was found to have been injured in the incident, however, Northumbria Police have confirmed that the incident is being treated as suspected arson and enquiries are ongoing.
Read more: Sunderland fire LIVE: Updates as 30 firefighters called to tackle early morning blaze in city centre
A number of road closures remain in place more that 14 hours after the blaze as emergency services work to make the area safe. Residents in the surrounding areas have also been asked to keep their windows closed due to the large amount of smoke as a result of the fire.
A spokesperson for the force said: "At 1.30am today (Friday), we received a report from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service of a fire at a commercial premises on Villiers Street in Sunderland city centre. Emergency services and partners attended the scene, and the fire was extinguished just before midday.
"Thankfully, no-one was found to have been injured in the incident. We are treating the fire as suspected arson and enquiries are ongoing.
"Due to a large amount of smoke in the area, residents living nearby are advised to keep their windows closed. Several road closures have been put in place around Villiers Street and motorists are being asked to continue to use alternative routes and avoid the area where possible.
"Anyone with information should use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or call 101, quoting NP-20240510-0060."
A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We can confirm that we responded to a serious fire at a commercial property in Sunderland in the early hours of Friday morning (10th May).
"An emergency call which reported a fire on Villiers Street was received at midnight. The incident focused on two buildings as part of the commercial garage. At the height of the fire, 30 firefighters tackled the blaze.
"We deployed seven fire appliances to the incident, including an Aerial Ladder Platform.
"The fire is under control, and our crews are currently still on-scene continuing with firefighting operations and assessing the situation.
"We would still advise local residents to avoid travelling in and around Villiers Street and to await further updates from the service. We have been working with our blue light colleagues at the police throughout the incident."
