Birtley Fire - dramatic drone footage released
Firefighters who spent days tackling a raging fire at a Tyneside recycling plant have released dramatic drone footage showing the scale of the blaze.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) have released the footage a day after they confirmed the fire at the site in Birtley had been fully extinguished.
They had received a report of the fire at 10.38pm on Monday and the first appliance was on scene within just four minutes.
But the fire was already well underway and so a further nine appliances arrived on scene to try and bring the blaze under control.
In total, more than 60 firefighters were at the site over a four-day period, using drones, aerial ladder platforms and thermal imaging cameras to tackle key parts of the fire.
On Thursday the Service confirmed that the fire had been fully extinguished and that the last of the crews had left the site on Durham Road.
And today (Friday) they released dramatic drone footage that showed the scale of the fire at its peak.
Speaking on Thursday, Chief Fire Officer Chris Lowther praised TWFRS staff for their efforts in keeping the community safe.
He said “It’s been an incredibly tough four days for our operational crews and staff but I couldn’t be more proud of the way they have stepped up to the challenge.
“It’s not often that incidents like this happen in our region but I hope that this response shows our local communities that we will always be there when they need us.
“This is why we practice and test our skills, because when things like this happen we are quick into action and know what needs doing.
“I also want to thank our partners who have helped us throughout the four day effort, working so closely and sharing knowledge is key in situations like this and without them it would have been incredibly difficult.
"We work with blue light and other partners on the basis of Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Principles (JESIP) and these have stood us in good stead in working to resolve this emergency and support public safety.
“I’m extremely proud of my staff for their response.”
TWFRS have now left the scene after confirming the fire had been fully extinguished and the A167 reopened late on Wednesday evening.
A full investigation is now underway into the incident and TWFRS are supporting Northumbria Police who are treating the incident as a suspected arson.
If you have any information please contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or by calling 101 quoting reference number NP-20220207-1158.
Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.