Newcastle fire: probable victim named

Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service say that although a formal identification has not been made of the victim of yesterday's (December 1) Newcastle city central fire, it is believed it may be 81-year-old Brian Sandells.

Emergency services are continuing to work together to investigate the cause of the fire that destroyed a large section of the building on Cross Street in the city centre yesterday (December 1).

The damage caused by the fire has made the structure of the building potentially unsafe and so it has been extremely difficult for fire and police officers to get inside the building and carry out a full investigation of the premises.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage and a full investigation will be carried out.

Brian is know to live at Kard Bar and has not been seen since yesterday and his family have been unable to contact him.

Northumbria Police are keeping the family updated and will continue to support them at this difficult time.

Most of the residents living in Cross Street who were evacuated as a precaution yesterday have been allowed back into their homes and we are working as hard as we can to ensure that local businesses near to the Kard Bar can re-open, however this will only happen when the local authority and fire service are happy that it is safe to do so.

Westgate Road is now re-open to traffic and pedestrians as normal with a small cordon in place around the Kard Bar building. This will remain in place for the foreseeable future.