Tyne and Wear Chief Fire Officer thanks community week on from crew attacks
A fire crew was pelted with petrol bombs, glass bottles and had a laser shone at them as they responded to fake reports of a car fire.
Tyne and Wear's Chief Fire Officer has been thanking the public for their support, a week on from a shocking attack in Newcastle.
Crews were the targets of suspected petrol bombs and glass bottles in the West Denton area last Saturday night.
A group of teenagers were arrested earlier this week and residents are now being urged to be vigilant this weekend.
Chief Fire Officer Chris Lowther said it was the worst attack he had seen in 26 years as a firefighter.
An exclusion zone is now covering the area - and CFO Lowther says they'll now only attend open air fires there with assistance from the police.
He said: "Police resources are drawn on as well. I can't guarantee we can attend very incident in that area.
"A firefighters job is to protect the community, my job is to protect my firefighters. I never thought I would have to do something like this."