Audience members arriving to watch The King and I at Newcastle's Theatre Royal tonight had to be evacuated after a fire broke out ahead of the performance.
Firefighters were called to the theatre at 6.54pm to what crews believed to be an alarm activation, however, on arrival, they discovered that a "small fire" had broken out on the fourth floor.
Theatre staff evacuated the building with a crowd of 1,200 spectators and cast members were told to wait outside on Grey Street while the emergency services dealt with the incident.
