Big blaze at old flour mill

A landmark corn mill, which was set to be a centrepiece of Wolverhampton's canalside regeneration when it was turned into flats, has been destroyed in a devastating fire.

Flames could be seen from miles around when the old JN Miller Ltd mill on Sun Street went up in smoke.

At the height of the blaze 15 fire engines, some from as far as Ward End in Birmingham, were sent to help pump water from the nearby canal.

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The grade two listed building was set to become flats with another 212 properties surrounding it.

It was to complement Redrow Homes' successful Southbank apartments on the opposite side of the Birmingham Canal off Corn Hill near to Wolverhampton rail station.

Councillor Neville Patten, leader of Wolverhampton City Council, said: "it's a great loss to the city as the building was associated with Wolverhampton's industrial heritage.

"It remains to be seen what the developers will be able to do now. Perhaps the building can still be salvaged or it may have to be demolished completely."

The fire started at around 8pm on Saturday and firefighters were still on the scene well into yesterday.

Trains had to be stopped from coming into Wolverhampton station for around an hour and delays of up to 60 minutes were being reported until around 4am on Virgin Trains, London Midland, Arriva Trains Wales and CrossCountry services.

Residents of the Southbank flats were able to watch the firefighters from their balconies.

Steven Smith, aged 19, a clothes shop worker, said: "I couldn't get my train back from Birmingham and ended up having to catch a bus.

"I had no idea that the problem was here until I arrived and I could see the fire from a long way off."

Drinkers at the nearby Great Western pub also spoke of their shock.

Ian Garlick, a 42 year old accounts officer from Bealeys Avenue, Wednesfield, said: "I was trying to get to the Great Western pub to meet some friends. I couldn't get around because the road was closed off. The trains seemed to be getting through but it looked like a huge fire."

Divisional officer Alan Tranter of West Midlands Fire Service said: "The fire went through all five floors and had broken through the roof.

"Water was something we needed large quantities of and we sent a high volume pumping unit to allow us to draw large quantities of water from the canal.

"Smoke from the incident affected a nearby railway line and as a consequence we had to ask Network Rail to switch off the power supply there.

"I'm glad to say there have been no casualties. Investigations can only take place once the building has been deemed safe to enter."

The Corn Mill was rebuilt after a fire in1851. It had been empty since 1981 when Miller's closed down.

Around £179 million is being spent on regenerating the Canalside area of Wolverhampton including a new bus and rail interchange, a casino, flats and offices.