Smethwick foundry fire: Work to dampen down blaze at derelict site
These are the smouldering remains of a former foundry gutted in a huge blaze in Smethwick.
Mounds of blackened rubbish remained at the derelict site off Cornwall Road following the massive fire on Sunday night.
Up to 60 firefighters were called out to tackle the blaze and by yesterday afternoon 40 remained on the site damping down the remains.
A cause for the fire, which started around 7.15pm, is not yet known, but fire chiefs confirmed that investigators were on site.
Cornwall Road was still blocked off yesterday as work continued.
MORE: Eleven fire crews tackle huge blaze at Smethwick factory
Station Commander Dave James, from Handsworth, said yesterday: "We have now done a full review of the site and seen a number of areas that are involved so we will be tackling them over the next few hours. The majority of the building is okay, we have discovered a lot of waste."
West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson, Matt Smith, added: "Good progress is being made on the site.
"There was a large quantity of rubbish on fire and road closures were still in place. Investigators are at the still at the scene." On Sunday night six crews were initially called out , but that was increased to 11 because of the severity of the blaze.
Crews from Aston, Perry Barr, Ward End, Ladywood, Handsworth, Highgate, Smethwick, Woodgate Valley, Oldbury and West Bromwich were in attendance.
Water from a canal backing onto the factory was used to help tackle the fire.
It is believed that the factory has stood derelict since the closure of Incanite Foundries Ltd which went into administration in early 2014. The firm had been operating since 1920.
