Fast-thinking firefighters and control room staff have been praised after a rapid response to fire at in Sunderland last night.

Officers at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) have praised the work of those who responded to the fire at a garage unit on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Service’s Fire Control first received a call at 9:57pm about a fast-spreading fire at a commercial garage unit in Hendon in Sunderland.

The first crews were on scene in just five minutes to begin battling the blaze, but it was a “substantial fire” and was spreading “rapidly”.

Recognising the scale of the fire, a number of further appliances were mobilised to the scene meaning a total of six appliances, an Aerial Ladder Platform, and 26 firefighters were deployed.

Today (Tuesday) Group Manager Shaun Makin, who led the response, has praised the firefighters, fire control team and support staff who delivered a fast and efficient response.

He said: “This was a substantial fire that was quickly spreading and light was a significant issue for our firefighters on the ground.

“It was important that we acted quickly and I saw first-hand the speed at which our Fire Control team, and then our firefighters, worked to bring the incident under control and stop the fire spreading to adjacent properties.

“Thankfully there were no people in the garage at the time of the fire however the premises were completely damaged due to this fire.

“We will be working this week, alongside our blue light partners, to determine the cause of the fire.

“I want to thank everyone involved in the response for their professionalism and fast actions.”

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At 10.30pm yesterday (Monday), we were informed by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service of a fire at a building on Old Mill Road, in Hendon, Sunderland.

“Emergency services attended and the fire was put out a short time later.

“Thankfully, no-one was injured in the incident.

“Officers are treating the fire as accidental and enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with information should use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the Northumbria Police website or call 101, quoting NP-20230828-1190.”

Emergency services have since left the scene of the incident but, despite early enquiries, the cause of the fire remains unknown.