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<\/p>\nWojciech Koltunik, who runs a garage opposite Streamline PopTop, the scene of a large blaze, said he’d never seen a fire like it<\/p>\n
A fire at Crowther Industrial Estate, in Washington(Image: Hi-Tech Garage)<\/p>\n
A neighbouring business owner at the scene of a huge fire at an industrial estate has described seeing workers fleeing the flames. Large flames and massive plumes of smoke could be seen from miles around after the the blaze broke out at Streamline PopTop, in Washington, <\/a>yesterday afternoon.<\/p>\n Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service <\/a>spent more than 12 hours dealing with the blaze and were still at the scene on Saturday morning. Nobody was hurt, the service confirmed, and the cause was not yet known.<\/p>\n Nearby residents reported hearing loud explosions and Wojciech Koltunik, who owns a garage opposite the building, has told of the terrifying moment the flames broke out. Mr Koltunik, who runs Hi-Tech Garage, told ChronicleLive<\/a>: “I was at work when I heard some banging, which sounded like popcorn going off in the microwave.<\/p>\n “I went outside and immediately saw the flames and people running out of the building. They were grabbing things from the office like PCs. Someone had already called the fire brigade.<\/p>\n “The workers were moving vans and cars from the front of the building and then there was an explosion. The building then went up very, very quickly – it took a matter of minutes. The explosion was actually very scary.<\/p>\n A fire at Crowther Industrial Estate, in Washington.(Image: Hi-Tech Garage)<\/p>\n “They have a lot of flammable things in there so the flames spread very quickly. I have never seen a fire like it in my life.” TWFRS confirmed that the blaze was out and they hoped to soon be able to return the building to its owners.<\/p>\n Mr Koltunik, who has had his garage for 11 years, said businesses on either side of Streamline PopTop had also been badly damaged. He added: “The explosion made the roof move and the walls are all cracked. It’s caused a lot of damage.<\/p>\n Devastating aftermath of huge Washington factory fire<\/p>\n “There was still some smoke this morning and the fire brigade are still working to make sure everything is safe. When the police arrived, they told me to move out of the street and close my door.<\/p>\n “I live in Wrekenton and my wife could see the smoke from there.” A spokesperson for TWFRS said they still had an aerial ladder platform and a pump at the scene.<\/p>\n Northumbria Police<\/a> confirmed they also attended in a supporting capacity.<\/p>\n A fire at Crowther Industrial Estate, in Washington. Image courtesy of Hi-Tech Garage(Image: Hi-Tech Garage)<\/p>\n Did you know you can make ChronicleLive a preferred source of North East news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information<\/a> about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_snr_nec_010826blaze8_01.jpg\")
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