A woman in her 20s jumped from a balcony to escape a fire at a block of flats in Gateshead, suffering injuries including a suspected broken ankle, police have confirmed.
Fire at Ochre Yards flats
The fire broke out shortly before 12.30pm on Sunday at the Ochre Yards flats on Worsdell Drive, on the south bank of the River Tyne. The building sustained severe damage, with images showing smoke-blackened walls, shattered windows and ruined furniture. A cordon was in place at the scene earlier today.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and the North East Ambulance Service attended alongside Northumbria Police. The fire service dispatched four fire engines, an aerial ladder platform and two officers to tackle the blaze.
Police statement on injuries
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "Just after 12.30pm today (Sunday), we received a report of concern for the safety of a person in Gateshead. It was reported that woman had jumped from a balcony after a fire had broken out within an address on Worsdell Drive.
"Emergency services attended and extinguished the fire. A woman, aged in her 20s, was found to have sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening, including a suspected broken ankle. She was taken to hospital for treatment."
A number of residents were also evacuated from neighbouring properties as a precautionary measure. Enquiries are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, but at this early stage it is not being treated as malicious.
Ambulance service response
A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said: "We were called by the fire service just after 12.30pm today (25 October) for a fire at an apartment block on Worsdell Drive in Gateshead.
"We dispatched two ambulance crews, two hazardous area response team (HART) crews and a clinical team leader to the scene. We treated two patients, one for smoke inhalation and another for an ankle injury, before taking them into hospital."
