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Blaze at Wooperton sawmill
THE A697 was closed today as 12 fire engines tackled a blaze at a sawmill south of Wooler.
The fire broke out in timber at A & J Scott Ltd, next to the A697 at Wooperton, at 9.30am.
Due to the smoke, the road was closed at around 1.30pm and diversions were put in place.
Appliances from Wooler, Berwick, Belford, Rothbury, Seahouses, Bellingham and two each from Alnwick, Morpeth and the Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade are at the scene this afternoon.
A high-volume unit is being used to pump water from the nearby River Breamish to try and extinguish the blaze.
A hydraulic platform and fogging units are also in use.
A spokeswoman for Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said there had been problems with getting sufficient water to deal with the incident.
She said: "The reason there are no many appliances is not so much because of the size of the blaze but because of the difficulties surrounding the water supply."
The extent of the damage is not yet known.
The family-owned sawmill and timber merchant was founded in 1960 by the father of the current managing director Andrew Scott.
It employs more than 100 people.
See the Northumberland Gazette on Thursday for more reports and pictures of the fire.
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Weather for Northumberland
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
