Homes evacuated as 120 firefighters tackle huge Birmingham factory blaze
More than 120 firefighters tackled a huge factory fire overnight in Birmingham - with 40 nearby homes evacuated.
Homes had to be evacuated around Formans Road after the fire started at about 11pm last night and 10 people have had to be rehoused.
Firefighters were there throughout the night with specialist equipment tackling the blaze which included canisters exploding and forklift tucks alight, West Midlands Fire Service said.
The firefighters will remain at the scene today investigating the cause.
Surrounding roads are closed including Percy Road from Percy Road Park, Forman Road up to Leominster Road and Pentos Drive and delays of up to 20 minutes have been reported in the area.
Neil Griffiths, from West Midlands Fire Service, said: "Approximately 11pm we were called to a factory fire.
"At the height of the fire there were over 22 fire engines and over 100 firefighters dealing with this fire and specialist equipment.
"We got to the scene in under four minutes. It enabled us to save a number of adjoining properties but more importantly we managed to save a number of houses as well.
"We evacuated approximately 40 houses and about 10 people have had to be rehoused, that tells you how significant the fire was and how lucky the people were and with our responding time, that made a really really big difference.
"We're going to be here for probably most of the day today. The investigations are being carried out and are ongoing into the cause of the fire.
"Around the Sparkhill area there's going to be some congestion this morning because of all the infrastructure around the roads so please be mindful when you're travelling."
Fire officer Lee Baker tweeted saying: "Firefighters faced sever heat, hazards and risks including canisters exploding and forklift trucks alight as well as the size of area affected, whilst protecting adjoining businesses."
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "At 10.44pm on Thursday 22 April, we were called to a factory fire on Formans Road, Sparkhill. The first crew arrived at the scene in just over four minutes. At the height of the fire we had 22 fire engines and over 100 firefighters in attendance.
"Our quick response and assertive, effective and safe firefighting resulted in being able to save many residential properties and other factories.
"A high volume pumping unit, draining water from the River Cole was used to tackle the fire in addition to nine hose reel jets, three main jets and two hydraulic platforms.
"Approximately 45 houses were evacuated and 10 families temporarily rehoused. The surrounding roads continue to be very busy with Formans Road, Percy Road and Pentos Drive still closed. Our Fire Investigation team is at the scene to establish the cause of the fire.
"We would like to thank all the residents for their support as well as our police, ambulance and local authority colleagues for helping us deal with this incident."
Jamie Arrowsmith, spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "We were called to reports of a building fire near to Pentos Drive at 10.56pm.
"Three ambulances, three paramedic officers and our Hazardous Area Response Team attended the scene. We worked closely with other emergency service colleagues throughout and treated two patients for minor injuries, one of whom was a man. Both patients were discharged at the scene."
