Huge fire tears through Grimsby homes and forces closure of nearby school

Homes on Welholme Road in Grimsby were devastated by fire which led to power supplies being cut.

Around 30 firefighters from Grimsby, Immingham and Scunthorpe tackled the blaze which started in a terraced home around 10am on Wednesday. Nearby Welholme Academy had to close due to the power failure and parents were asked to take children home .at about 11am.

Neighbours described flames bursting through the roof of the terraced home. It spread quickly to adjoining homes and residents were evacuated.

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Humberside Police closed Welholme Road for four hours while six fire crews put out the fire. An hydraulic platform was used to pour water into the properties and prevent further spread of the fire.

At the scene Station Manager for Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, Darren Gadd told Grimsby Live a number of people had to be evacuated from homes. He said around 30 firefighters from six crews from Grimsby, Immingham and Scunthorpe tackled the house fire.

He said: "It spread to adjoining properties. It has caused considerable damage and we are trying to confine the damage. The crews have done a good job. We are trying to prevent any hot spots and bring the incident to a close as soon as possible."

A resident said: "The flames were really high from the roof. The whole street was filled with smoke. It’s been a nightmare. There were people in the house but I think they got out and have gone to stay elsewhere."

A Northern Powergrid spokesman said most of the residents had power supplies reconnected within a couple of hours.

British Red Cross volunteers attended to offer support to residents while Humberside Fire and Rescue Service conducted investigations to try to establish the cause of the fire. A spokeswoman said the investigation was on-going and no details could be released until the incident was completed.