Blaze at Black Country garage destroys vehicles

Three cars were destroyed and two other vehicles damaged when flames tore through a garage in the Black Country.

Residents in nearby homes in Smethwick had to be evacuated for two hours during the blaze, which caused thousands of pounds of damage at the site off Lime Grove, Cape Hill

People living nearby said they heard loud bangs coming from the detached wooden garage, which stands alone at the bottom of a row of terraced houses, at around 10.45pm last night. Many dashed outside to see flames shooting from the building.

Three cars inside the garage were completely burned out while a flatbed truck and a van parked outside were severely damaged. The vehicles were today unrecognisable because of the fire damage.

Firefighters said the heat from the blaze caused windows to crack and guttering to melt at nearby homes.

Watch commander Ian Wright from Smethwick said: "It took a while to get the fire under control. It was lucky no one was injured."

Crews were at the scene for around 90 minutes. They also made several return trips throughout the night.