Express & Star

In pictures: Cannock warehouse blaze from flames and huge smoke column to smouldering wreck

Terrifying pictures show the chaotic scenes of a destructive fire that ripped through a Cannock warehouse last week.

Published

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Firefighters from Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands were sent to Super Smart Service on Cley Road in Cannock, Staffordshire, on Thursday morning after plumes of smoke were seen floating above the town.

The thick black smoke decorated the town's skyline and alerted people as far away as Stoke-on-Trent to the dangerous blaze - which took ten fire engines and four days to finally put out.

Thankfully there has been no reported deaths or injuries, but officials can still be seen at the site making sure no further danger comes from the troubling warehouse.

The huge fire in Cannock was burning away the Super Smart Service building last Thursday
A huge fire at an industrial unit in Cannock reported to be Super Smart Service building, it took 10 fire engines get it under control
CANNOCK COPYRIGHT NATIONAL WORLD PLC TIM THURSFIELD 09/05/24.Fresh pics showing the devastation caused by the fire at Super Smart Services, Cannock..

Businesses were made to evacuate and residents were urged to close their windows after the fire broke out at at the parcel centre on an industrial estate in Staffordshire.

Firefighters tackled the blaze near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock on Thursday morning.

Photo: Terry Kingsley
Photo: Terry Kingsley
Photo: Terry Kingsley

At the time, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire started at Super Smart Services – a distribution warehouse “which contains a variety of different materials for delivery”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, they said: “Fighters are asking all residents to close windows and doors due to smoke and all local businesses to evacuate.”

Videos and pictures of the fire posted to social media show billowing black smoke filling the sky and moving across the area.

Sam Winter, a 32-year-old scaffolder, captured footage of the fire. He told the PA news agency: “I drove out of Cannock Chase to a plume of smoke, so I drove all the way following it to get a video as my mum works across the road from there.”

irefighters tackled the blaze near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock on Thursday morning
Nobody has been reported as injured or deceased since the fire started NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Handout dated 09/05/24 issued by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service of the fire at Super Smart Services near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock, Staffordshire. Issue date: Thursday May 9, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story FIRE Cannock. Photo credit should read: Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Distributions solutions group, Super Smart Service, used the warehouse on the Kingswood Lakeside Employment Park as its main office.

The firm works with delivery company giants including Evri, Yodel, Royal Mail, DPD, and UPS, along with household brands like eBay and Amazon.

The fire rises above the rooftops in Cannock
A nearby resident took this image of the smoke from their garden
The fire pictured on the horizon over the Wolverhampton skyline

A statement read: "We are pleased that no one was injured in the fire at the Super Smart Service site.

"As this isn’t our site, we can confirm there has been no impact to Evri's service."

The delivery company also confirmed that two of its trucks, which could be seen parked near to the Super Smart Service Site at the time of the fire, had not been damaged.

CANNOCK COPYRIGHT NATIONAL WORLD PLC TIM THURSFIELD 10/05/24.The aftermath of the huge fire at Super Smart Services, Cannock..
CANNOCK COPYRIGHT NATIONAL WORLD PLC TIM THURSFIELD 10/05/24.The aftermath of the huge fire at Super Smart Services, Cannock..
CANNOCK COPYRIGHT NATIONAL WORLD PLC TIM THURSFIELD 10/05/24.The aftermath of the huge fire at Super Smart Services, Cannock..

The now burnt out shell of the Super Smart Service site is still clearly visible as firefighters carried out the remaining jobs to make the site safe earlier today.

But it was a very different scene on Thursday morning as the skies above Cannock and the surrounding area were filled with thick, black smoke after the fire broke out at around 6.15am, with flames seen shooting out of the ceiling.

Ten fire engines were drafted in to tackle the huge blaze, while Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service warned residents to close windows and doors due to smoke and all local businesses were evacuated.

Two fire appliances including an aerial ladder platform from Telford Central fire station were among those sent to tackle the flames.

Plumes of smoke could be seen travelling for miles, with people reporting sightings from Lichfield, Wolverhampton and even further afield.

Distributions solutions group, Super Smart Service, used the warehouse on the Kingswood Lakeside Employment Park as its main office