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A Northumberland engineer has spoken of his devastation after a fire ripped through his business.
Geoff Wallman, 44, runs two businesses from a unit at Newbiggin Hill Farm, near Hexham but in the early hours of Saturday was woken to a call saying there was fire. Rushing to the site, Geoff could see flames and smoking billowing out of the unit and knew his businesses were gone.
The businessman has lost vintage tools, project cars and current projects he was working on, leaving him starting from scratch.
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He said: “I work out of the unit and have two businesses from the one place. It was an old farm and there were a few of us who all had units. It is an amazing community of people and small businesses and hobbyists and friends dropping in and out all the time.
“We have been there almost five years. On Friday, we had been off site doing bits and bobs and we had been in Vindolanda installing an e-bike charger. I got back to the unit and did a bit of tidying up and pottering on. I locked the door and then at 2am or 3am on Saturday I got a call from the landlord and all he said was the unit was on fire.
“From that point onwards it was a complete crisis, panic mode and my friend drove us over the back into the Shire and we just saw the flames down in the valley from the top. It was huge and you just know when you see it that it is so, so big.
“We don’t know how it started. We don’t know where it started. There are three units affected who lost everything. There is nothing left.
“We went up yesterday which was really tough to see if we could salvage anything at all. It looks like it has been bombed. it is just complete devastation. There is nothing there, just a few bits of metal poking out.
“I’ve lost everything spanning 30 years of my life from vintage tools, equipment, project cars and silly little things I made and my neighbours who are good friends and wonderful people have lost everything too.”
Six fire crews from Northumberland Fire and Rescue were in attendance, and supported by crews from Tyne and Wear and Durham and Darlington, with the cause of the fire being investigated.
Geoff and his intern were busy working on a food trailer project for a local businessman and hope they can finish the project off for him.
He said: “We are part way through building some stuff for local people and the thing I think is most important for us now is to complete those projects. All the people affected by this, it is my unit and my stuff but ultimately it is what it meant to people. What it meant to the customers and clients and friends, our families.
“I think a lot of people will look at it as a shed, and it was, it leaked, there were wonky floors and it was dark but it is about what it meant.”
Now, Geoff has launched a GoFundMe to help raise funds for the project and is also appealing for anyone with old tools to donate them.
He said: “The GoFundMe is about trying to get back from that point. I can’t tell you the support, it has poured in from everywhere.
“If in any way you can support us to get that project finished we would be grateful. We are trying to get things done for people who supported us when we were a growing business.
“If people don’t feel like the GoFundMe is the right thing for them, if there are any old tools they have, like engineering tools or engineering tools, I have lost everything. If it is a scriber or set square. if they could drop it off at unit B of Newbiggin Hill Farm.
“Whatever it is, we are super grateful. If people don’t want to donate but if they have a box of bits and bobs you were maybe thinking of taking down the tip that an engineer could use we’d be super grateful.”
A Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said: “Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service was called to a primary fire at 2.56am on the morning of August 19. Crews with 6 pumps were in attendance, coming from Hexham, Allendale, and Prudhoe. We’d like to thank our colleagues at Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Service and Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service for their assistance in tackling this incident.
“The cause of this incident is still currently under investigation.
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