Winlaton fire treated as arson
Blaze ripped apart community hub,
Police are appealing for information after an arson at a church in Gateshead. At 5:50am on Tuesday, February 23, police received a report of a fire at St Paul's Church, Scotland Head, Winlaton. Fire services attended and extinguished the fire. No one was hurt however the building was badly damaged. Enquiries are ongoing into the cause of the fire and police believe that it may have been started deliberately. A man was seen running away from the scene just after the fire was reported to police. He is described as wearing a grey or green padded jacket, dark bottoms and light coloured footwear. He had his hood pulled up over his face. Police wish to identify and speak to this man as he may have information that could help with the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 107 23/02/16.