Cause of fire which damaged Hartlepool chip shop and neighbouring flats and stores revealed

The cause of a blaze which tore through a Hartlepool takeaway has been pinpointed by firefighters.
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Cleveland Fire Brigade was called to St Patrick Shops, in Owton Manor Lane in the town, at 12.12pm today, Tuesday, July 9, following a report of a fire.

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Crews called to reports of fire near Hartlepool shops

The a cordon was town around the shops and pathway between Gill’s Fast Food, the site of the blaze, and Paddy’s Pets and Candy Shake and Cake, as the emergency crews tackled the incident.

Firefighters as they dealt with the blaze inside Gill's Fast Food earlier on today.Firefighters as they dealt with the blaze inside Gill's Fast Food earlier on today.
Firefighters as they dealt with the blaze inside Gill's Fast Food earlier on today.
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The service sent two appliances from Stranton Fire Station and another from Billingham, after a fire broke out involving a compressor and a fridge freezer.

The fire left the room within the take away partially damaged, with the whole shop left damaged by smoke.

The fumes also affected the flat above and a neighbouring flat and two other stores in the row.

The properties above were also empty at the time.

A spokeswoman for the brigade said: “The place was closed at the time and there was no one in.

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“We had to use hydraulic cutting equipment to get into the property through the shutters at the front.

“We used one hose reel and two officers wearing breathing apparatus, a positive pressure ventilator and a thermal imaging camera.

“The cause was found to be an electrical fault with the freezer.”

The crews were on the scene until 1.50pm.