Shipping container fire at ex-school

Firefighters at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service have attended the site of a former school in Ashbrooke after receiving reports of a shipping container on fire.

Two fire crews from Sunderland central attended to the scene on Mowbray Road, shortly before 5pm on Sunday.

A shipping container, at the rear of the forme r Ash brooke School, was alight when firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) arrived and it has since been brought under control.

It is understood that the shipping container is used by St. Aidan’s School to store sports equipment, with the school regularly using the playing field behind The Cloisters apartments.

An investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the blaze is now underway.

It has also been confirmed that no one was injured during the incident but the extend of the damage is unknown at this time.

Jez Hilton, the watch manager for TWFRS at Sunderland Central said: “We received a call at 16.52 this afternoon to a shipping container, utilised for the storage of sports equipment by St. Aidan’s School, on fire. "Two fire crews have been involved, with a thorough search conducted to ensure that no one was injured in the incident. An investigation is now underway to establish the cause of the fire.”

A spokesperson for TWFRS added: “There are two crews from Sunderland central at the scene dealing with the fire and it remains an ongoing incident.”