Man helped to safety after building collapses in Wolverhampton
A man was helped to safety by firefighters after a building collapsed in Wolverhampton, prompting the evacuation of nearby properties as a precaution.
Emergency crews were called to Napier Road, off Dudley Road, earlier on Friday following reports that part of a building had fallen in.
West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that one man was helped to safety by firefighters and was not believed to have been injured.
Three fire crews were sent to the scene and a cordon was put in place while surrounding buildings on Dudley Road were evacuated. Napier Road was closed to traffic during the incident.
Firefighters carried out a full search of the collapsed building using specialist equipment and a search and rescue dog to ensure nobody else was trapped inside.
No further casualties were found.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said: "We currently have three fire and rescue crews in Napier Road, Wolverhampton where part of a building has apparently collapsed. The road is closed and some nearby properties on Dudley Road have been evacuated as a precaution.
"One man has been helped from the scene by firefighters but, at this stage, is not thought to be hurt.
"Our crews completed a full search of the building with specialist equipment as well as a final sweep with our search and rescue dog - no further casualties have been found."
The fire service said the cause of the collapse is not yet known, but it is not believed to be weather-related.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes once the area was made safe.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene this morning but were stood down shortly after.
A statement said: "We were called to reports of a fire at a property near to Dudley Road in Wolverhampton at 11.37am.
"We sent an ambulance, two paramedic officers and our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) to the scene.
"On arrival, there were no patients found and we were stood down."
