DOZENS of people - including schoolchildren - had to be evacuated from the streets surrounding a garage fire when flames threatened to ignite a gas cylinder.
Emergency services had their hands full when a blaze sparked by welding work engulfed Hope Street Garage in Blackhill, Consett, at lunchtime on Wednesday. The fire destroyed two vehicles, including a 1937 Austin, damaged another and burnt through the roof of the workshop. The incident also caused traffic chaos, when police were forced to seal off the busy Durham Road after the fire broke out at 1pm.
Mechanic Barry Forster described his horror at seeing the car he was welding catch fire. He said: "I was underneath the car when I saw flames coming out of it above me.
"I grabbed the fire extinguisher and managed to put the flames out, but as I was lowering the ramp the fire started again. There was nothing I could do to stop it."
Ten firefighters on two appliances were called to the blaze.
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