A fire has ravaged through a block of flats in County Durham, leaving four families without a home.
The fire ripped through the flats on Ashfield, Newton Aycliffe, at around 2am to the shock and surprise of neighbours.
Fresh pictures from the scene today show the building scorched after the four homes were destroyed by the flames.
Residents in the surrounding areas told The Northern Echo that they heard running and screaming as the fire took hold.
Meanwhile, some described their shock after waking up to see a scene of devastation.
One resident, who didn't want to be named, said: “We didn’t really hear anything last night, we just got up this morning and saw something on Facebook.
Another resident added: “We'd slept with the window open and heard some running and screaming coming from the flats.
“Then before we knew it the fire brigade was there, but we didn’t see anything apart from that.”
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue revealed that two occupants of the building were rescued from the first floor window.
Luckily no one was harmed after the incident after residents were rescued, however, two dogs were reportedly put down.
Many residents said they didn’t hear anything until the morning when the incident was over and had seen the incident on Facebook.
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary have stressed that people do not speculate about the incident.
“We were called to reports of a fire in a bin store at a block of flats in Ashfield, Newton Aycliffe, just after 2am this morning (August 11).
“Officers supported colleagues at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service to get residents to safety.
“Thankfully no one is believed to have been seriously injured and a joint investigation will be carried out to ascertain the circumstances.
“In the meantime, we would encourage people not to speculate as to the circumstances.”
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service added: “Three fire crews responded to reports of a fire in a bin store, at a house in Ashfield, Newton Aycliffe, the early hours of this morning (Thursday, August 11).
“On arrival, it was clear the fire was spreading to the property above and two occupants were rescued from a first floor window, fortunately unharmed.
“At present the cause of the fire is unknown and a joint investigation with Durham Constabulary is underway.”
A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 2.13am this morning to reports of a house fire at a private address on Ashfield, Newton Aycliffe.
"We dispatched one ambulance crew who treated and discharged three patients on the scene."
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