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Birtley waste plant fire: Man arrested on suspicion of arson

TWFRS Scene of the fireTWFRS
The fire was initially declared a major incident but has since been scaled back

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a large fire at a former recycling plant in Gateshead.

No-one was injured in the blaze in Durham Road, Birtley, which began at about 22:30 GMT on Monday.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) said the fire had been "very challenging and dangerous" at its height but was under control.

Police have arrested a 19-year-old man and are keen to trace another man at the scene shortly before the fire.

Northumbria Police said it was trying to track down relevant CCTV images and officers were still trying to establish the circumstances of how the fire started.

Work will continue through Tuesday night and into Wednesday, with Gateshead Council urging people to stay away from the site.

Local residents have been advised to continue to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke, while a number of road closures also remain in place.

'Serious fire risk'

The former Shee Recycling site was shut down by the Environment Agency in September because of a "serious risk" of fire.

Items stored at the site included large oil drums containing hazardous waste, cutting equipment, batteries and fuel canister.

TWFRS officers visited the site on "numerous occasions" last year to urge the operators to reduce volumes of waste and introduce fire breaks between piles of waste.

A court order was in place prohibiting anyone from entering or depositing more waste on the site.

TWFRS Scene of the fireTWFRS
The fire was brought under control on Tuesday but smoke remains an issue

Road closures in place on Tuesday included the A167 Durham Road from Harras Bank to Vigo Lane. Gateshead Council have said diversions will remain in place until further notice.

TWFRS was called to the scene at 22:38 GMT on Monday and nine appliances attended, along with an aerial ladder platform which remains on the site.

Deputy chief fire officer Peter Heath tweeted a video of the scene, and praised the efforts of firefighters.

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He said: "We are on top of the incident and have downgraded from a major incident to a significant fire and have begun scaling back our presence.

"We will be on site for the rest of today [Tuesday] and most of tomorrow ensuring that the site is safe and beginning our investigation into the cause of the fire."

TWFRS Appliance at scene of the fireTWFRS
At the height of the blaze nine appliances were in attendance

He added: "There is still a significant amount of smoke in the air and as the wind picks up and heads north it will begin to move towards the A1.

"So please keep your windows and doors closed and stay away from the site where possible."

TWFRS Firefighters at the sceneTWFRS
Fire crews brought the blaze under control overnight
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