Ten people were evacuated from flats and West Bromwich High Street was closed off after a fire ripped through a property in the town centre.

Around 40 firefighters tackled the blaze, which happened shortly before 10pm last night, after it took hold of a building at the rear of The Kebab Grill takeaway.

Both the Shalimar Restaurant and the takeaway were evacuated following the fire and one person was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Seven crews from Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Ladywood and Smethwick all attended the fire with Spon Lane, High Street and West Bromwich Ringway closed for around three hours.

Watch Commander at Willenhall Fire Station, Andy Morgan, said: “The fire was very severe and if anybody had been in there it could have been far more serious.

“We took around 10 people out of the flats nearby and managed to stop the fire spreading.” Investigations into the cause of the blaze are on-going.