Rev. Chris Minchin who covers the Benwell parish has also been speaking to impacted residents to offer support. He said: “People are really tired and don’t know what’s going on. They’re desperate for sleep and a shower.”

Rev. Minchin said that the church has been open for tea, coffee, a foodbank and prayer this morning and any time residents need support. He added: “It’s desperately said but it’s lovely that people are helping out.”

Margaret Ramsay and her dog Rosie are among the residents to be evacuated from their home. She said she didn’t notice the fire at first but thought that someone was trying to break into her home .

A seven-year-old boy has died at the scene of an explosion in South Benwell, Northumbria Police have confirmed.

Northumbria Police Superintendent Darren Adams said the death of the young boy was a “truly devastating outcome” and the “loss and pain” his family and loved ones must be suffering is “unimaginable”.

An investigation is ongoing to establish the cause of the explosion, police confirmed, adding that the investigation is at a “very early stage” and will continue through the coming days.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Lynsey McVay from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said that they were called to reports of a house explosion at 12.42am and crews were on the scene within 5 minutes and declared a “major incident” due to the extent of the damage.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service had eight fire appliances, a command unit, search and rescue dogs and an urban search and rescue team at the height of the incident.

All fires have now been extinguished, however, search operations continue to ensure all people are accounted for. A cordon is expected to remain in place for some time.

North East Ambulance Service duty officer Sharon Monaghan said 4 double crewed ambulances, 4 HART units, a clinical team leader, a duty officer and a tactical on call, and a doctor were dispatched to the scene.

I’m in Morpeth where a police cordon has been in place near Oliver’s Mill, near the town centre

Residents report that police arrived in the area at around 8.30am this morning. Although the cordon was removed at around 2.30pm, forensics can still be seen carrying out investigations in the area

Several residents had to be evacuated from their homes, including Amanda Gibson. She said plain clothed officers knocked on her door at around 9.45am this morning and asked her to evacuate. She was relocated to the local leisure centre with Twix, the guinea pig she’s caring for.

Amanda said she was told to take Twix as it was uncertain how long she would have to be out of her home. She was able to return at around 2.30pm.

Amanda said: “I don’t know anything about what’s happened or why we had to evacuate. Plain clothed officers knocked and told me I needed to leave but can’t say why.”

Julie Ward was also asked to evacuate her home with her French Bulldog Louis. She said: “I’ve got no idea what’s happened, nobody’s said anything. They [police] just knocked on the door at 9.45am and just said we needed to leave our homes.”

Julie added: “I haven’t got a clue what it’s all about and nobody will say anything, they just told us all to leave.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said he didn’t need to be evacuated from his home, but could see police, bomb disposal teams and the cordon from his window.

He said: “They had one of those track robot things, but I didn’t see it go anywhere. I came out and asked if I should be worried.”

He added: “They [police] have been here all day. And I’ve just noticed people [forensics] going in with gloves on. But I’ve no idea what has gone on.”