Demolition team clears Peacocks site
This is all that remains of a popular Sunderland store destroyed by fire.
A demolition team has moved in to clear the site of the former Peacocks clothing shop in Blandford Street after a blaze tore through the building on the night of Wednesday, January 23.
Most of the debris has now been removed from the land, leaving just a few remaining beams and piles of rubble on the land where the business once stood.
A hold had previously been put on the work to remove the shop front, retail area and storage space left wrecked by the fire while checks were carried out to find out whether it was safe for investigators from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service into the building.
However, it was declared too dangerous for anyone to enter the site, which means the cause of the fire could not be confirmed, although it is not thought to have been suspicious.
The fire service had been working alongside private fire investigators on behalf of the building’s owners and occupiers in the hope of pinpointing why the fire began.
At its height, the service had and spent 10 hours at the scene, with 60 firefighters called to join in the effort to extinguish the blaze before its experts returned to the site to start inquiries.
Around 60 firefighters took a total of 10 hours to tackle the fire, with flames finally being extinguished at 5.20am on Thursday morning after they had been called to the scene at 7.20pm the night before.
The service has previously thanked businesses in the area for their help and support in the aftermath of the incident.
The section of street outside the store was closed off to people on foot following the fire, with an alley later opened to help people reach both ends without the need to use the back lane.
Nearby traders say they suffered financially due to lack of footfall in Blandford Street after the blaze and have called on city leaders to help breathe new life into the area.
The Echo has contacted Peacocks for comment.