Kingswinford fire: Everything we know about the blaze of 100 tonnes of scrap material tackled by seven fire crews
Seven fire crews tackled a fire at a scrapyard in Kingswinford involving 100 tonnes of scrap material and domestic appliances - here's everything we know so far.
Responding to the blaze shortly after 7.30am on Thursday, January 29, West Midlands Fire Service warned residents near Oak Lane, Kingswinford, to "keep windows and doors closed" while they dealt with the fire, and urged people to "avoid the area" where possible.
Approximately 40 firefighters attended the scene, with some staying there until after midday as crews made 'good progress' throughout the day, having been hindered by a pile of fly-tipped rubbish that blocked a crucial water access point for the first responders.
West Midlands Fire Service incident commander, Mr Andy Shakespeare, spoke of the importance of leaving water access points clear after his team spent 15 minutes clearing the waste prior to tackling the blaze.
The rubbish, which is estimated to be around 5ft high, was blocking a public water access point on the fire crews arrival, meaning that teams has to clean the area before gaining access to the water.
Mr Shakespeare said: "When we arrived we quickly started looking for water access points, we found one, but unfortunately it was underneath a significant amount of waste.
"My crews had to spend around 10 to 15 minutes clearing it to gain access, and 10 to 15 minutes meant that we could see a significant escalation in the fire situation."
Workers around the site of the fire spoke of their shock at arriving to find an ongoing fire nearby, with one local saying it is not the first fire they have seen in the area.
Bill Hitchcock, who works in Kingswinford, said: "It's not the first time we've had a fire around here to be fair. When I got here in the morning it was all on fire. It's terrible really, it affects a lot of us."
Damien Lewis, aged 30, from the area, said: "It's shocking really, I couldn't believe it.
"The fire was much bigger first thing in the morning. I could just about get down the road with all the fire service vehicles.
"I don't think that anyone has been injured, which is good, but it's shocking still."
A West Midlands Fire Service statement read: "West Midlands Fire Service was alerted at 7am on Thursday 29 January to a fire involving a large quantity of scrap material and domestic appliances at a scrapyard on Oak Lane, Kingswinford.
"An estimated 100 tonnes of scrap was involved. Site staff worked with fire crews, using on-site machinery to move metal and create a fire break.
"Our initial response included seven fire engines, which have since been joined by supporting resources including a high volume water pumping unit. No-one is reported to have been hurt."
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