Firefighters tackle large fire in Sunderland city centre

Emergency services are at the scene of a large fire at a commercial premises in Sunderland city centre.

Firefighters were called to the building in Villiers Street at around 1.30am on Friday morning.

Anyone living nearby was advised to keep their windows shut due to large amounts of smoke.

A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we responded to a serious fire at a commercial property in Sunderland in the early hours of Friday morning (10th May).

“An emergency call which reported a fire on Villiers Street was received at midnight. The incident focused on two buildings as part of the commercial garage. At the height of the fire, 30 firefighters tackled the blaze.

“We deployed seven fire appliances to the incident, including an Aerial Ladder Platform."

Crews left the scene at 2.08 pm.

Cleveland Fire Service says its investigations will continue alongside police into what caused the fire.

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