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Flats ravaged by blaze will be knocked down

Parts of a fire-ravaged block of flats destroyed in a blaze which left 30 people homeless will be knocked down as it is too dangerous for residents to return, it was announced today. The devastating blaze saw 50 firefighters called out.

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Parts of a fire-ravaged block of flats destroyed in a blaze which left 30 people homeless will be knocked down as it is too dangerous for residents to return, it was announced today. The devastating blaze saw 50 firefighters called out.

Flames ripped through the three-storey block of flats in Willenhall Road, East Park, Wolverhampton – after a blaze started on Saturday afternoon – leaving the building structurally unsound. Fire chiefs have since revealed that the fire was sparked by a discarded cigarette.

The section of the flats which was worst affected by the fire will have to come down, while investigations continue into whether the rest of the block can be salvaged.

Assistant director for regeneration at Wolverhampton City Council, Nick Edwards, said: "Further investigations of the overall structure will then need to be carried out. The building management company is rehousing residents."

West Midlands Fire Service said the 50 firefighters called to tackle the flames were initially hampered due to the building's timber cassette construction, which allowed the fire to spread, horizontally and vertically, via internal cavities.

Crews were forced to leave the building as there were fears it could collapse.

Couple Steve Tym and Emily Smedley are desperately hoping they will be able to get inside to rescue their beloved tortoiseshell cat Fatty, who has been trapped in their flat since the fire.

"They're knocking the flats down in a few days and if we don't get her out before then, we'll never see her again," said Miss Smedley, 33, who is being forced to stay in a hotel paid for by their insurance company.

Kimberley Butler was also among those forced to flee when the blaze took hold.

The 24-year-old and her son Kai, aged two, are now living 20 miles away with her parents in Stafford.

"The building actually didn't look too bad at first because the fire was internal," she added. "I'm devastated and my rent came out on that day – it's just a total nightmare."

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