THE emergency services will remain on the scene until the early hours after a large scale fire on a North East scrapyard.
The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed crews will remain on the scene at Hendon Street in Sunderland to "resolve the situation."
Fire bosses have said they have scaled back firefighters after ten appliances were dispatched to the scene from stations in neighbouring areas.
Read more: Huge fire breaks out as emergency services warn residents to 'stay inside and close windows'
In a statement Peter Heath, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, continued to urge people to stay away while warning of disruption to nearby roads and homes nearby.
He said: “Today we have been tackling a serious fire at a scrapyard in Hendon, Sunderland.
“We have dedicated 10 appliances and crews to the scene since late this morning and we expect them to be onsite working through the night to dampen down the area.
“There was a large amount of materials in the scrapyard, which were the focus of the fire.
“We would urge the public to stay away from the area until we have made the location secure. We are working hard to put this fire out.
“There may be disruption on the roads and to the surrounding houses."
Mr Heath said that hot temperatures felt across the North East had made conditions "extremely tortuous," as he said the fire was ongoing.
He said: “Please be reassured we are dealing with this. It is extremely tortuous to work in this heat but the firefighters are committed to it.
"We are systematically working to deal with this fire, and there will be updates as we go. Please stay away from the area if you don't need to be there.
“The incident is being scaled back and firefighters will be onsite until the early hours of the morning to resolve the situation.”
The fire service previously said appliances had been called from stations including West Denton, Gosforth, South Shields, Marley Park, Farringdon, Sunderland Central, Washington and Gatshead.
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