Darlington: Gym evacuated as fire crews tackle blaze
- Published
Crews were at the scene on Haughton Road in Darlington until 02:00 BST
Fire crews spent five hours tackling a blaze at an empty building in Darlington on Friday evening.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service were called to the fire on Haughton Road at about 21:00 BST.
Nearby Bannatyne gym was evacuated as crews from Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor and Darlington attended the scene.
It said "significant damage" had been caused to the building and the cause of the fire, which was extinguished by 02:00, was being investigated.
Crews attended another incident at the same building on 8 May and police discovered a cannabis farm in the disused office block in March.
The fire service said empty buildings, often with "dangerous internal structures and possible live electrics", were a "growing concern".
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