West Bromwich BT workers flee in smoke alert
Workers were evacuated from a call centre in West Bromwich for about an hour after a discarded cigarette caused a section of flooring to smoulder.
Smoke started to fill sections of the ground and first floor of the BT regional business centre, off All Saints Way, on Saturday, shortly after midday.
Fire crews ordered the four-storey building to be evacuated as a precaution due to the smell of smoke until they discovered to origins of the blaze.
They had to dig up a small area of ground outside the building to reach the smouldering section of flooring inside.
Flooring was also removed to find the one-metre section of cladding which had caught fire. Watch commander Phil Richards, of West Bromwich fire station, said: "We believe the fire was due to a discarded cigarette.
"It didn't cause much damage but we had to evacuate the whole building as a precaution."
The fire crews also used ventilation fans to clear any remaining smoke before allowing the workers to re-enter.
BT spokesman Ian Read said: "Approximately 40 people evacuated the building and returned to work around 1pm, after the fire brigade made the building safe."
