Chemical spill at Gateshead factory fire

Jan 5 2009 By Paul James

FIREFIGHERS are clearing up a chemical spill after a fire  at a Gateshead radiator factory this morning.

Forty firefighters were dispatched to the Team Valley blaze just before 11am, setting up two jets and hose reels inside and an aerial ladder outside to target the fire hot spots.

Group Manager Charlie Hall at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The crews did an excellent job putting out the fire.

“It was particularly difficult to access the area where the fire was. The roof of the building has been partly damaged. We know that the fire started from an oven used to seal the coating on radiators but don't know how it started."

The servicve said the chemical spill was "minor" and an investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched. The building was evacuated and nobody was injured.