Newcastle scrapyard blaze closes city streets - The Guardian

Fifty firefighters are tackling a spectacular fire in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne that has sent clouds of black smoke billowing over the famous Byker Wall flats.

Residents have been warned to stay inside and shut all doors and windows as thick smoke poured from tyres and oil-soaked car wrecks at a scrapyard in nearby Albion Row.

A small number of local people were evacuated from their homes in Northumberland Row but are expected to be allowed back within hours. Six staff working at the yard left after raising the alarm, when smouldering smoke in a six-month-old pile of scrap suddenly burst into flames.

The column of smoke could be seen from miles and led to anxious calls to police from people across Northumbria and county Durham. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as crews fought to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring timber yard.

The scrapyard's managers said there was a 2,000-litre fuel store on the site, and emergency services are trying to check whether the scrap contained potentially dangerous chemicals. Two people have been treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No other buildings have been affected.

Northumbria police closed local roads, including Leighton Street and Byker Bank, which runs by the 1960s Byker Wall above the Tyne. A further two roads, Ford and Lime Streets, were later closed and Albion Row was sealed off.

The alarm was raised at 12.25pm. It has been too dangerous for forensic teams to start checking for possible causes of the blaze.

The Byker Wall was designed as a "village in the sky" by the architect Ralph Erskine. Its 620 flats and maisonettes were built in the 1970s and have been the setting for many TV series and films.