Fire service reports near 200% rise in emergency calls during Storm Arwen

Firefighters saw a spike of nearly 200% in emergency calls as Storm Arwen battered the North East last weekend.

It was the first severe nationwide winter storm of 2021 and caused major damage and disruption to areas across the country.

High winds, blizzards and dangerous downpours hit Newcastle and resulted in a number of dangerous situations for residents.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) were on duty across the whole weekend with firefighters responding alongside partner agencies.

They attended electrical fires caused by water leaks, removed fallen trees from carriageways, secured damaged buildings and even rescued a man trapped under a fence.

The service revealed that they experienced a 196.1% rise in calls during the storm.

Dave Leach, Area Manager Service Delivery for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “Red weather warnings are a rare occurrence up in the North East of England so you can imagine when they do happen the region has to batten down the hatches and expect the unexpected.

“We are proud of how our firefighters, control room and staff, Service wide, dealt with the deluge of calls and how they worked alongside our emergency service colleagues to try and get the region back on to its feet.

“It’s during times like these when communities pull together and work tirelessly to try and bring normality back as quickly as possible.

"We had to respond to a wide variety of different incidents from fallen trees to structural damage and debris caused by the high winds.

“We hope that residents and businesses continue to stay safe as the cold weather snap that Storm Arwen has brought along has made some roads and public pathways very slippery so please be careful when you go about your day.”