Damping down at factory fire site

Firefighters today remained at a huge factory in West Bromwich that was ravaged by fire.

Tens of thousands of tons of sawdust caught fire at Giffords Recycling, off Kelvin Way.

Crews from across the region were called to the scene at 2.15am yesterday and have remained. They are expected to remain until tomorrow.

Hundreds of thousands of litres of water have been used by the firefighters to dampen down the piles of sawdust. Water is also being taken from the nearby Birmingham Canal.

West Bromwich Fire Station crew commander Matt Rosen said: "We have been there all night putting water on the sawdust to remove the residual heat."

Crews from Walsall, Erdington and Ladywood also worked at the scene today.

At its peak, more than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at the wood recycling plant. Huge flames shot into the sky and 80 per cent of the building was damaged.