The Central Motorway in Newcastle is set to remain closed into next week as police and partners continue to deal with the aftermath of a large city centre fire.

At about 6.45 pm on Wednesday (June 28), emergency services received a report that a disused building in Carliol Square, Newcastle, was on fire.

Police are treating the cause of the fire as suspected arson at this time, and five people have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigation.

Read more: A167, in Newcastle, closed following Carliol Square fire

Firefighters and blue-light colleagues worked tirelessly through the night to extinguish the blaze. Initial checks of the building were carried out to determine if anyone was inside and have so far proved negative.

However, with the fire having severely impacted the structural integrity of the building, the northbound carriage of the Central Motorway will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

Superintendent Neil Armsworth from Northumbria Police said: “This has been a complex operation and it has been a tremendous team effort by all our emergency service colleagues and Newcastle City Council to extinguish the blaze and ensure the safety of the public.

“The fire has severely impacted the structural integrity of the building and so it remains unsafe to re-open the Central Motorway Northbound at present. We do anticipate the closure will continue into the middle of next week.

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“This is so the building can be made safe enough for us to conduct a more detailed search and be satisfied that no one is inside.

“I would like to stress that this decision has not been taken lightly, but we cannot risk any debris falling onto the carriageway and causing catastrophic injuries to drivers.

“Diversions remain in place, and we encourage everyone to research their journeys before setting off – allowing extra time to get to your destination.

“We know this is unwelcome news and will have an impact on many people’s weekend plans and we thank you for your ongoing patience and cooperation.”

On the live investigation into the cause of the fire, Supt Armsworth added: “We are determined to establish exactly what happened and have been working around the clock with the support of our partners.

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“We are treating the cause of the fire as suspected arson, and as a result of our extensive enquiries, five people – aged between 13 and 16 - have been arrested and remain in police custody.

“We are committed to ensuring those responsible are rightly brought to justice and I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and cooperation as our enquiries continue.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or report online via the ‘Tell us Something’ section of Northumbria Police’s website, quoting NP-20230628-1077.