Three adults and a child were taken to hospital after a fire on Newcastle Street

Three adults and a child have been taken to hospital after a major fire on a residential street in Newcastle.

Emergency services were called to the incident in Violet Close in the Benwell and Elswick area just before 1am on Wednesday.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said four people were treated at the scene and then taken to hospital.

Drone images from across the street showed at least one home appeared to be completely destroyed, roofs had collapsed and firefighters were working among the rubble.

Piles of rubble could be seen on the street outside.

A family friend of some of the victims said there had been a “devastating explosion.”

Andy Riches, security officer at Newcastle United, has launched an online fundraising campaign in aid of residents of one of the affected homes.

He is friends with the grandfather of a couple with two children who live in one of the apartments and said: “They lost everything.”

Residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed, while motorists are asked to avoid the area as roads are closed.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called to an incident in the Elswick area of ​​Newcastle at 12.45pm today.

“We sent four paramedic teams, four teams from our Hazardous Area Operations Team (Hard), a doctor, a specialist paramedic, a clinical team leader, a duty officer and a tactical advisor to the scene.

“We treated four patients – three adults and one child – and transported them to hospital for further treatment.”

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Today (Wednesday) police were contacted shortly before 12.45pm by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service dealing with a fire at an address in the Violet Close area of ​​Newcastle.

“The emergency services are still on site.

“Road closures are in place on Buddle Road and the surrounding area. Motorists and residents are advised to avoid the area and keep doors and windows closed if they see or smell smoke.”

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service tweeted in the early hours of the morning: “We currently have multiple fire appliances responding to a major incident in Violet Close, Newcastle.

“Please avoid the area and keep doors and windows closed until further notice.”

Firefighters continued their work at the scene and used a high-pressure cleaner to dampen down the house, which was still smoldering.

A fire truck marked “search dogs” and gas specialists were parked nearby.

Meanwhile, vehicle recovery workers were busy transporting away several damaged cars on low-loaders.

A spokesman for Northern Gas Networks said it had engineers on site and was “supporting the emergency services during this ongoing incident”.