Oldbury factory blaze - business will rise from the ashes vows boss
The boss of the Oldbury plastics factory that was devastated by a huge fire said he was determined to ensure the business would rise from the ashes - as demolition teams prepared to begin bulldozing the remains of the building.
Firefighters tackled the blaze at Teknor Apex in Tat Bank Road for more than 16 hours after 29 workers were forced to flee from the ferocious flames.
Businesses were evacuated and roads closed surrounding the site on Wednesday afternoon as thick black smoke billowed into the air and could be seen for miles around.
Parents collecting their children from nearby primary schools were told to leave the area quickly as the plumes of smoke filled the air. Fire crews remained at the scene yesterday and factory staff returned to view the extensive damage caused to their place of work.
The fire is believed to have started in a warehouse storage room but fire chiefs said investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing.
There were 29 workers on site at the time but all managed to escape from the building unharmed.
The blaze was brought under control by 5pm on Wednesday but it continued to burn in pockets for another 12 hours.
Roger Davies, operations manager at Teknor Apex, said he was determined the blaze would not signal the end of the business and has already begun planning for the future in an attempt to bring the business back from its knees.
He said :"There are a small team of people working to implement a continuity plan on a human resources side and customer side," he said.
"It's a lot of work for a small amount of people."
Firefighters remained at the scene yesterday to douse hotspots inside the wrecked building but the attention has now turned to the demolition of the building.
Watch commander James White said: "Unfortunately it has been completely destroyed. We will be scaling down our operation and liaising with demolition teams."
