A suspected arson attack in Gateshead has led to a police investigation after a van was set on fire on a residential street in Wrekenton. Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident just after midnight on Sunday, June 14.
The fire service dispatched a vehicle to Whitehouse Crescent at 12:10 am, where the fire had already spread to a second vehicle. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and left the scene shortly after 12:45 am. Police confirmed that the van was unoccupied and no injuries were sustained, but inquiries into the circumstances remain ongoing.
A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We can confirm that on Sunday, 14th June, an appliance attended an incident in Gateshead. The emergency call came in to our Control Room team at 00:10 and a crew from our Gateshead Community Fire Station was despatched to the Wrekenton area. The incident involved a van on fire, which had spread to a second vehicle. Firefighters safely extinguished the blaze before leaving the scene shortly after 00:45 am.”
Footage from a doorbell camera captured flames cascading from the vehicle, with plumes of smoke filling the area as the fire spread to the nearby parked car.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson added: “Just before 12:30 am on Sunday (June 14) we were alerted via the fire service to a van on fire on Whitehouse Crescent in the Springwell area of Gateshead. Emergency services attended the scene and the fire was extinguished. The vehicle was unoccupied and no injuries were reported. While enquiries are ongoing, it is being treated as suspected arson. Anyone with information regarding either incident can send us a message on social media, or use live chat and report forms on our website. Those unable to make contact in these ways can call 101. Please quote reference number NP-20260614-0029.”
