A large blaze engulfed the former Engineers Social Club on Raby Road in Hartlepool on Tuesday night.
At least eight fire engines were at the scene working to contain the fire, which began around 7:30 pm this evening. Thick smoke was visible across Hartlepool as firefighters used breathing apparatus and an aerial platform to tackle the flames.
Incident Commander, Group Manager Craig Strike told TeesPix.Photos that due to the risk they are tackling the fire at the derelict social club defensively from the outside of the building utilising breathing apparatus. They will be continuing to tackle the fire throughout the night before handing over the scene to Cleveland Police. They don’t believe anyone to be in the building.
Cleveland Police advised the public to avoid the area and for nearby residents to keep windows closed due to the smoke. Police and fire services will remain on the scene until the fire is extinguished. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
North East Ambulance Service also had one incident response unit in attendance.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, a Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “[we] were called on 30/04/2024 at 19.26 to an incident at the former Engineers Social Club on Raby Road in Hartlepool. Eight fire engines were in attendance from Hartlepool, Thornaby, Yarm, Stockton, and Middlesbrough. The combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) was also in attendance. Derelict social club well alight, no one injured. The incident has scaled down to one fire engine which is currently in attendance to dampen down the area. Investigations will take place to determine the cause once the incident has fully concluded.”
Gallery of photos from the scene:
