30 firefighters tackle blaze at former Wolverhampton college site as smoke seen 'spewing' from annexe building

Around 30 firefighters tackled a fire in an empty annexe building at a disused Wolverhampton college campus.

Members of the public were advised to steer clear of the former City of Wolverhampton College site off Paget Road while six fire crews responded to a “building fire” on Sunday evening (July 19).

In a post on X West Midlands Fire Service stated: “We have six crews in attendance at the former Wolverhampton college site, Paget Road, Compton, where they have responded to a building fire.

“Please avoid the area, where possible.”

Crews from Wombourne, Codsall, Kinver, Fallings Park, Aston, Smethwick and Oldbury stations were among those dealing with the incident.

West Midlands Police officers closed Paget Road, between the junction with Clark Road and just east of the campus gates.

Incident commander Darryll Darkin, of Oldbury Fire Station, told the Express & Star at the scene on Sunday: "This is an empty building. We received reports about smoke spewing from the annexe building near the sky bridge.

“Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were first to arrive on the scene because it has been a busy day with incidents across the region.

“There was no threat to life. The fire was confined to the lower floor. There is still smoke circulating through the building.

"There are a lot of broken windows here. The crews have worked really hard and really well together.”

He continued: "We're due to start scaling it down, leaving three fire engines and a brigade response vehicle at the scene, followed by checks for any remaining hotspots during the night."

Fire service support and investigation crews and National Grid engineers also attended. A representative from the college's estate team was also present.

Tettenhall Road resident and civil servant Vicky Owen, aged 43, told the Express & Star: "I'd been shopping at Sainsbury’s St Mark's and booked a taxi home.

"When we got to Chapel Ash the road was shut due to a big crash. The taxi had to take an alternative route round the side streets and I could see smoke in the vicinity, but I didn’t know where the incident was until I checked the Express & Star website and read that it was the old college.

“I have a relative living on Paget Road but I knew they were at work, so I went to check the cats and made sure the windows were closed due to the smoke.

"I understand people could smell the burning from the Whitmore Reans area."

The campus in Paget Road officially closed in October last year when the college moved to a new £61 million site in the centre of Wolverhampton.

Earlier this week Wolverhampton Council revealed plans to demolish the 1960s campus to provide "a cleared site prior to its marketing" and to remove ongoing responsibilities for "management, maintenance and trespass".