Firefighters have been praised after they helped extinguish a huge fire in Newcastle – after responding to a call in a matter of minutes.

In the early hours of Monday, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) received a call about a fire at a building in Jesmond.

Just after 1.30am crews were told that the building on Bemersyde Drive, that had previously been a gymnasium and was undergoing construction, was ablaze.

Firefighters from Gosforth and Newcastle Central Community Fire Stations deployed and were on the scene in just eight minutes.

They used specialist equipment, and an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) appliance, to extinguish the fire after battling the blaze for a number of hours.

And now TWFRS has praised its crews for their quick response and quick thinking.

Group Manager Andy Lillford said “This was a great effort from everyone involved, from our Fire Control who took the call to our crews who responded.

“Due to the size and nature of the fire, we had over 30 firefighters in attendance and they were on scene for a number of hours.

“They were able to quickly contain the fire, prevent it from spreading and eventually extinguish it.

“Thankfully, there was no one in building at the time of the fire and nobody has reported to have been injured.

“It was a fantastic job by everyone involved and shows just how quickly we can respond to incidents of this nature to keep our communities safe.

“But we also want to thank residents in the area who followed our advice and kept windows and doors closed.

“There was a significant amount of smoke because of the scale of the fire and those small steps do keep you safe.

“There is a small presence at the scene this morning and we will continue to carry out enquiries to establish the cause of the fire.”