Whitley Bay phone mast blaze being treated as arson
by Sophie Doughty · ChronicleLiveA phone mast fire is being treated as arson.
Police are now probing the blaze, which broke out on Monkseaton Drive in Whitley Bay, early on Saturday morning.
Emergency services were called to the scene just after 4.30am. Police closed the road as crews from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the flames. A stretch of Monkseaton Drive, close to the entrance to Beaumont Park, was closed throughout the morning.
Northumbria Police has now confirmed officers are investigating.
A spokesman said: "Shortly after 4.55am on Saturday, we were alerted by the fire service to a report of a fire on Monkseaton Drive in Whitley Bay. It was reported that a phone mast was on fire.
"Emergency services and partners attended the scene, and the fire was soon extinguished. Thankfully, no-one was found to have been injured in the incident.
"The road was closed for a short period of time but has since reopened. We are treating the fire as suspected arson and enquiries are ongoing."
A spokeswoman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said on Saturday: "We responded at 4.39 this morning to a report of a phone mast on fire. We had two appliances go and police attended. Our crews were on scene until 7.18am then it was left in the hands of police."
This is not the first fire related to a phone mast in the area. In February 2022 a police probe was launched after a fire on a 5G mast on nearby Beaumont Drive. This incident also happened during the early hours of the morning.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Northumbria Police quoting reference NP-20241019-0150.
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