Emergency crews remain at the scene in Newcastle, with people being warned to avoid the area.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Superintendent Adams said it had been a “truly devastating outcome”

Emergency services were called shortly before 1am in the early hours of this morning

A seven-year-old boy has died and six others have been injured after a large fire in a residential street in Newcastle.

Archie York's aunt says her nephew was "a loving boy, with a cheeky little grin on his face".

Firefighters, police and gas engineers rushed to the scene in the Benwell area of the city at around 12.45am in what has been described as a 'large-scale incident'.

Reverand Chris Minchin of Benwell and Scotswood Team Parish explained how the community of Benwell and Elswick was in "shock" but quickly banded together to gather donations for those impacted

Archie York has been named locally as the seven-year-old boy killed in an explosion in Newcastle, which destroyed two terraced houses in the early hours of Wednesday morning

A number of people were taken to hospital after the blast

Archie York lost his life in an explosion yesterday morning.

Three persons sustained various degrees of injuries in an explosion at the NIPCO filling station at Eyean community in Benin-Auchi road, Uhunmwonde Local