Man taken to hospital and several businesses evacuated after fire at Cannock car radiator factory

The fire at Radtec Cooling at Swaffield Park on Hyssop Close in Cannock had started around 9.30am and the area around it was still closed off to the public more than five hours later.

Roads passing by the estate were closed off, with Staffordshire Police officers directing traffic away from the scene, while large Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service cordons could be seen along the road at the scene of the fire.

At around 2.45pm, fire crews were still seen working, with fire engines and hoses visible on the ground from nearby units.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that one man had been treated for smoke inhalation before being transferred to hospital.

In neighbouring industrial units and estates, members of staff were being asked to evacuate the scene, with a long queue of cars seen leaving the scene and other staff members told to go to the KFC restaurant on Old Hednesford Road to await further instructions.

At one unit on Burdock Close, a staff member said they had seen the smoke earlier in the morning.

He told the Express & Star: "We heard the fire engines at around 10am and looked over the top of one of the units and saw the smoke, so we've been keeping an eye on it all day and were told it was Radtec, which has radiators there.

"The fire service have now come to us and told us that we need to evacuate, so staff have been allowed back on to get their cars and go to KFC where they'll be told more there."

At Hyssop Close, a business owner from a neighbouring unit to where the fire happened described what they had seen.

He said: "We saw a bit of smoke, but we didn't see much until the fire service came down here and told us about the fire.

"We've actually been told to evacuate, but we're been able to stay on the site and direct everyone away, while looking at the fire crews working on the site.

"We've heard rumours of what started it, but what I've been told is that people there have lost belongings because of the scale of the fire."

Those people who had been at the KFC on Old Hednesford Road were later seen heading back to get their cars and go back to their units, with Slawek Hingerty from IDE Systems and Rental among those having been evacuated.

He said that the fire had left businesses needing to catch up on lost days of work.

He said: "When I first heard about the fire, I was left thinking about how it was going to affect us as there's the shock of what's going on, but also the disruption to our day.

"Customers all over the country are wanting products to be delivered today and tomorrow, but we're not going to be getting that out and it's going to cause a knock-on effect as we'll lose customers and business.

"It's been frustrating as everyone in the area has been affected, but we've not know what's been happening and there's not been a lot of communication."

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed an investigation into the cause of the fire would be carried out.

A spokesman said: "Firefighters have tackled a large factory fire in Cannock today.

"We were called at 9.20am to a business on Swaffield Park, Hyssop Close, following reports of smoke coming from the ground floor.

"Seven appliances and an aerial ladder platform attended the scene.

"Firefighters used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to extinguish a fire in a single-story factory unit.

"One man was taken to hospital by colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service after being treated for smoke inhalation.

"An investigation into the cause of the fire will take place in due course."

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We were called to a fire at an address on Swaffield Park off Hyssop Close, Cannock, at 9.51am and sent an ambulance and paramedic officer to the scene. 

"On arrival, crews found one man who was treated for suspected smoke inhalation and conveyed to Stafford County Hospital."