Overview
- The former Billingham Library caught fire on Tuesday evening, prompting a large emergency response to the Queensway/Kingsway area.
- Overnight firefighters carried out damping-down work and remained on site on Wednesday morning to check the building’s remains for hotspots.
- Cleveland Police supported fire crews, imposed road closures at Causeway and Kingsway at the height of the incident, and said most closures have now been lifted.
- There are no confirmed reports of injuries or fatalities and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined as investigators continue their work.
- The damaged building is included in Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s town-centre redevelopment plans for demolition and clearance, a detail officials say should not be taken as evidence of a link to the blaze while the inquiry proceeds.