A SLEEPY seaside town woke to a night of chaos that saw families urgently evacuated from their homes.
Emergency services raced to the County Durham spot in the early hours of this morning after multiple cars were set alight in the street.
This saw Hartlepool residents rushed out of their houses as crews worked to extinguish the flames.
One resident, who did not want to be named, told TeesideLive: "Ten cars torched on our street and neighbouring streets, absolute chaos."
Photos show a ball of flames on one street, with smoke billowing into the sky.
Others showed the charred remains of cars sitting on the street.
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Cleveland Police said fire crews were rushed to six different streets in the early hours of this morning, and a "small number" of locals had to be rushed from their homes.
The force added: "Emergency services are currently dealing with multiple vehicle fires across the Hartlepool area.
"Police received report of fires on Caledonian Road, Baden Street, Shrewsbury Street, Lansdowne Road, Osborne Road, and Brinkburn Road.
"A small number of residents have been evacuated and officers are urging people to avoid the area whilst emergency services deal with the incident."
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Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cleveland Police online or by calling 101 quoting incident 164288.
Do you know more? Email [email protected]
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