Residents evacuated from their Joicey Court homes following blaze at Hartlepool's derelict Odeon cinema
Homes have been evacuated after a nearby fire at a former cinema.
Residents in “a number of properties” have been moved out following the blaze at the derelict Odeon building, in Raby Road, Hartlepool, late on Saturday evening.
Cleveland Police said they are “are continuing to work with housing agencies” to find alternative accommodation for affected people living in Joicey Court, which backs onto Dent Street at the rear of the fire-damaged premises.
The force said in a statement on Sunday afternoon: “Officers remain at the scene of a large fire at the disused Odeon building, on Dent Street, in Hartlepool, alongside colleagues from Cleveland Fire Brigade and Hartlepool Borough Council.
“Road closures remain in place on York Road, Hart Lane and Raby Road and these are expected to stay closed for some time whilst the incident is dealt with.
“A number of properties on Joicey Court have been evacuated and we are continuing to work with housing agencies in relation to this.
“There are currently no reports of any injuries. Residents are urged to avoid the area.
“Officers would like to thank everyone for their patience and co-operation while emergency services work together to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.”
A possible cause of the blaze, which erupted at around 11pm, has still to be revealed.
While it is more than 40 years since the building was used as a cinema, it is still widely referred to in town as the Odeon.
It later became a nightclub before closing down around the turn of the century.
Widely condemned as a blot on Hartlepool’s landscape, there are tentative plans to bulldoze the privately-owned building and create a “community park”.