Residents urged to close windows as smoke rises above Hartlepool town centre following blaze at derelict Engineers' Club

Motorists and pedestrians are warned to avoid the Hartlepool town centre area of Raby Road while firefighters deal with the blaze at the former Engineers’ Social Club.

Eight appliances from as far away as Saltburn were called to the fire on Tuesday, April 30, at just after 7.40pm.

Huge plumes of smoke could be seen rising above the town centre as they doused the flames.

A Cleveland Fire Brigade social media message on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “Please avoid the area if you can.”

Hartlepool Police added in their own post on X: “There is no threat to the public.

"However officers advise people to avoid the area and nearby residents should close windows.”

A £25m plan to transform the building and surrounding area into new shops and homes was approved in 2023.

The premises are just yards away from another prominent building, the former Wesley Chapel, which itself was hit by fire in November of last year.

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