Blaze hits former scrapyard

Twelve fire appliances were called to the scene, including two specialist aerial ladder platforms. A spokeswoman said: “Our control room has been inundated with calls about the incident.”

One man was taken to hospital as a precaution because of the effects of smoke, police said.

Smoke from the blaze was not believed to be toxic, the force spokeswoman said.

Three and a half hours after the blaze, a Facebook page called I Survived the Great Fire of Byker had attracted 2,400 visitors.