Fifty five firefighters have been deployed to the centre of Newcastle after a serious fire broke out on the ground floor of a shop, though it is feared people may be trapped on the upper floors of the building.
The fire broke out on Tuesday morning at the Kard Bar, a poster and print shop on Cross Street, causing Newcastle city centre to be engulfed in smoke as firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control.
The Tyne and Wear fire service has said it “cannot yet confirm all persons are accounted for”.
Fire crews have been working for hours to control the fire, deploying 55 firefighters, 11 fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms to attack the blaze in the shop and the three floors above it.
People have been advised to avoid the area due to the “large amounts of smoke” and roads surrounding the fire have been closed with traffic diverted.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer John Baines told reporters that crews have worked tirelessly to bring the serious fire under control, but there was a “high fire load in the building due to the very nature of the trade that is carried out there”.
He added: “We will be bringing some structural engineers along to inspect the buildings. At this point in time we cannot establish whether all persons are accounted for. But we will determine that during our ongoing investigations.”
Northumbria Police said they were on the scene to aid the fire service and evacuate the immediate area.
“[Officers] currently remain in the area to assist the fire service in their operation and ensure the safety of the public,” police said in a statement.
