Fire crews tackle 'significant' town centre blaze

Plumes of smoke blew across parts of Grimsby following a fire at a disused building.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service launched a large-scale operation to put out the fire at former probation offices on Queen Street after being called shortly before 05:00 BST.

Greg Tucker, station manager, described the fire as "significant", and said there had been concerns the fire could spread to a nearby train line.

Three fire engines were initially sent before an aerial unit was also called in and crews were "able to contain the fire to the building".

Tucker said he was "confident" no one was inside the building after a drone search, and said crews would remain on site "for the rest of the day" to dampen down any hot spots.

He said the structure was not "particularly stable", so the service would be working with partners to take the building down.

Tucker added: "As I approached the incident I could see a large plume of smoke across the town, fortunately at the time of the day there weren't too many people out and about."

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices