Thomas Mallaby, 40, died in hospital days after he was attacked on the forecourt.

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A cat was given oxygen by firefighters after being found unconscious inside a burning house.

The animal was discovered when crews went into the property in Jarrow earlier this month.

Firefighter Joanne Grout used specialist animal resuscitation equipment donated by the RSPCA and spent five minutes giving the cat oxygen.

Image source, TWFRS

The cat, which was named Lucky by the crew, was then taken to a vet for emergency treatment. It has fully recovered and has been reunited with its owner.

No one else was inside the house at the time.

Station manager Trevor Sturrock, from Hebburn and South Shields community fire stations, said: “We were delighted to hand back one of the nine lives to the cat through the quick thinking actions of our highly skilled and dedicated firefighters."

Image source, TWFRS

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “The bond between people and their pets can be incredibly strong and so losing a pet in a house fire can be hugely traumatic.

“We are delighted that this cat was revived and rehabilitated and returned home.”

Image source, TWFRS

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Fire crews from Sunderland had an unusual callout when there were reports of smoke and flames billowing from a wall.

The smoke was seen coming from the wall, in Farrington Row, close to the River Wear, on Saturday.

Crews realised the fire had started on land that had peat-type soil and a number of trees, meaning it was important to get it under control quickly.

Firefighters cut down vegetation and managed to dig around tree roots to pump water underground.

Image source, TWFRS

The area is known for a number of old mine works and it is believed the fire was the remnants of an old slag heap from the nearby colliery.

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Mystery surrounds what caused a loud bang heard and felt across parts of North Yorkshire and East Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon.

The British Geological Survey, which monitors seismic events, said it received reports at around 15:50 GMT of "a low rumble ending in a thud" and someone feeling "the ground tremble".

Reports were also received of some homes shaking and windows rattling, leading to speculation there had been an earthquake.

However, the organisation said data from its seismic networks in the region were examined and "signals consistent with a possible sonic origin" were recorded around the same time at several of its monitoring stations.

"The reports received are also consistent with historical observations received for previous events with a sonic origin," it added.

When asked whether the noise and associated vibrations could be from a sonic boom, an RAF spokesperson said they would examine reports about the incident.

David Banks, from Malton, told BBC Radio York: “The house started vibrating and this kind of kept on going for around 20 seconds and it was that kind of level of sound, it was the rattling of the windows and the sound of vibration.”