Newcastle fire: Fire Service issues update to local residents as blaze continues

Local fire fighters are continuing to attempt to extinguish a wildfire which started in Newcastle on Wednesday, June 14.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service confirmed on Wednesday that their Fire Control received a call about a wild fire at Prestwick Carr in Newcastle at 1:19pm.

A fire had started in a densely wooded area hard to reach by vehicle, leaving the service’s firefighters having to walk in warm temperatures to tackle it.

At its height, 56 firefighters, two drone pilots, three fire officers, 10 appliances and a High Volume Pump were on scene to bring the blaze under control.

Firefighters remained at the scene throughout the night but scaled back their firefighting efforts for firefighter safety due to the poor visibility and light in the area.

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Area Manager Paul Russell, of the fire and rescue service said: “This is a large wildfire very similar to what we saw last year during the prolonged period of warm weather in August.

"This is a difficult response due to the location of the fire, and the weather but our firefighters have been working tirelessly through the night to keep the fire under control.

"Today we will be stepping up our efforts again to get this fire extinguished and preserve as much of the nature reserve as we can.

"As you may have seen overnight and this morning, the smoke is still lingering across the city and it has a strong smell of fire.

"We would ask that you keep your window and door closed if you live close by and if you are having breathing difficulties please call 111 or speak to your GP.

"I also want to thank our partner agencies for the support they have shown and the public in the area who were disrupted by the incident and have been patient with us during our response."

The service has also released drone footage of the fire, showing the impact of the blaze which is near Newcastle Airport.