Five young people have been arrested after an unused care home set ablaze in North Tyneside. 

Emergency services were paged to the property on Milfield Avenue, in Shiremoor, at around 6pm on Tuesday after reports of a fire. 

Residents were evacuated from neighbouring homes and several roads were closed while firefighters tackled the blaze. 

It was reported that a number of young people were seen entering the property "carrying substances believed to be accelerants."

Northumbria Police has now confirmed that five people - aged between 12 and 20 - have been arrested on suspicion of arson and are currently in police custody. 

Fire crews remain at the scene to fully extinguish the fire, which continues to smoulder. 

 

Arson probe launched

Chief Inspector Sally Pallace, of Northumbria Police, said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank all the other agencies involved in the response to this fire. Together, we were able to ensure the incident was swiftly and safely controlled.

“A big additional thanks to the Salvation Army premises nearby who opened up their doors and ensured people had somewhere to go if they were displaced or evacuated from the events of last night.

“Any form of fire poses extreme dangers, but the dangers are totally unnecessary when we believe it has been started deliberately.

“Thankfully, nobody has been injured – and it’s extremely lucky we’re able to say that. We very easily could’ve been giving a very different update.”

Ch Inspector Pallace added: “We’ve launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, working with our partners, and the fast response means we’ve now got five young people in the cells.

“I would like to thank residents for their ongoing support as officers carry out a range of enquiries and would ask that anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

“An increased police presence will remain in the areas as officers carry out those enquiries and offer any reassurance to members of the public.”

A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson added: “We can confirm that on Tuesday evening (18th June), firefighters were dispatched to a building fire in Shiremoor, North Tyneside.

“We received the emergency call at 6.03 p.m., and at the height of the fire, five appliances, including an aerial ladder platform, eighteen firefighters and three fire officers were deployed to the disused single-storey building on Milfield Avenue.

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“The building has been severely damaged by the fire, and no persons have been reported on the premises.

“Firefighters will remain on scene until the fire is fully extinguished and will work alongside partner agencies to investigate the source of the fire.”

If you have any information about this incident, you can get in touch with Northumbria Police by sending a private message on social media, visiting the live chat on their website or by completing a crime update form.