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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Tom Beattie

Dramatic moment Esso petrol station was engulfed by flames in Washington

Dramatic footage shows a petrol station engulfed by flames after a motorcycle caught fire in Washington.

The video, captured by member of the public Chris Nixon, shows flames billowing from the forecourt on Heworth Road in the Concord area of Washington on Tuesday afternoon (October 25).

In the footage, one can see dark smoke filling the air near residential properties with the flames wildly spreading from ground level to the roof of the garage.

Read more: Fire crews prevent 'disastrous explosion' as they extinguish blaze at petrol station in Washington

Travelling in the passenger seat of a car going along Heworth Road, one can see petrol pumps ablaze as the vehicle passes the garage.

The fire was subsequently brought under control and quickly extinguished by the fire brigade.

The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) confirmed that they found a motorcycle well alight at the scene with flames having spread to the petrol pump next to the vehicle.

Thankfully, firefighters were able to prevent a potentially disastrous explosion after they isolated the petrol supply to surrounding pumps and evacuated the petrol station before immediately beginning to extinguish the fire.

In a matter of minutes the flames were out.

The officer in charge of the response has praised Fire Control staff and the firefighters involved in the incident.

TWFRS crews left the scene at 3.56pm. The site was then left in the hands of the owners.

Station Manager Andy Blower, of TWFRS, said: “This was a fantastic response from all the staff involved, from the Fire Control staff who took the call to the firefighters who responded, to the petrol station staff who isolated the pump.

“A fire at a petrol station is incredibly dangerous. There is an abundance of flammable materials that could lead to disaster so the speed of the response is crucial.

“The fact that we were on scene in less than six minutes is a testament to those involved but that was just one aspect of our response.

“The firefighters deserve a lot of praise for quickly evacuating the premises and isolating the fuel supply to mitigate against the worst case scenario.

“Simultaneously we were tackling the flames and within minutes it was fully extinguished without anyone suffering from any serious injuries.

“I want to praise everyone involved in this response, and the staff at the petrol station, for keeping communities in Concord safe and we hope it reassures our wider communities that we will be here if you ever need us.”

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