Overview
- Emergency services were called shortly after 9:30am on January 2 to a property on Richardson Way on the Berry Edge Estate in Consett.
- County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service deployed three engines and an aerial ladder platform, with police and council colleagues establishing a cordon.
- The North East Ambulance Service sent two ambulance crews and a Hazardous Area Response Team unit, and four patients were taken to the University Hospital of North Durham.
- Photos and official updates describe severe structural damage, with the roof destroyed and the fire spreading across all three floors of the semi-detached home.
- Fire crews left the scene at 2:34pm and will reattend in the coming days to ensure the building is safe as the cause investigation continues.