Finkle Street fire: Teenager jailed

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The teenager who started the fire on the corner of Rosemary Lane and Finkle Street which caused £500,000 of damage was jailed for two years and nine months on Friday.

The Northern Echo reports from Teesside Crown Court where Thomas Stephenson, 18, of The Galleries was sentenced.

Judge Howard Crowson said he was certain that Stephenson had not meant to cause the extensive damage and had appeared to show concern for anyone in the buildings by returning to the scene.

He told Stephenson: “I do not consider you to be a dangerous offender.

Read the full report at The Northern Echo here.

Finkle Street fire: £25k appeal set up to help those affected

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An online donation page has been set up to help people affected by the fire in Finkle Street over the weekend.

The GoFundMe page was set up by Monica Smallman who says:

Many people and businesses have been affected by the terrible Richmond fire that was started in the early hours of the 6th June 2015. Livlihoods of business owners, suppliers, workers and small businesses associated with those involved in the fire have lost vital income. The rebuild of the properties and businesses will take many months to be re-established. In the meantime, businesses will sustain huge loss of earnings. We are setting up this page to show our support or the local businesses and show solidarity as a community. Please donate as little or as much as you can. We are eternally grateful for your generosity.

Click here to go direct to the donation page.

* Please note, we have requested some more information about this appeal and will update this page with more detail when we hear back.

Police praise Richmond residents following Finkle Street fire

Firefighters at work

North Yorkshire Police have released a statement praising the local community for their understanding.

Inspector Mark Gee of Richmond Police said:

I was at the scene of the fire and liaised closely with the fire and rescue service and the local community. I am very grateful for the community’s patience and understanding as the emergency services dealt with the fire. It was a busy market day and many people were shopping or visiting the town. Everyone was very understanding and supportive of all the emergency services at the scene, despite the road closures, diversions and the disruption caused to them. I would like to thank them all for their support and patience.”

The fire was reported to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at around 5.11am on Saturday 6 June 2015 and has caused substantial damage to commercial premises in the street, including the Red Cross shop, Urban Spa and Beauty, Tasty Macs and the Oxfam shop.

No-one was injured in the fire but the damage will have a significant impact on the local businesses with repairs estimated to be hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Police are asking anyone who has any information about the fire to contact them if they have not already come forward.

Anyone with any information is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Detective Constable Andy Palmer of Northallerton Serious Crime Team. Or email Andrew.palmer@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference number 12150094257 when passing on information.

The 18-year-old local man arrested in Richmond on Saturday evening and remains in police custody while the investigation continues.