'It was apocalyptic' - Man hailed 'hero' of Stourbridge fire after raising alarm and saving neighbour

A man who was one of the first to spot the huge Stourbridge fire has been hailed a hero for saving an elderly neighbour.

Charles Hill is one of many who has been evacuated from his home due to the fire, but has been hailed in the community for his efforts to first battle it, then work to raise the alarm and help others to get away safely.

The 31-year-old said he had seen a fire in a field near his home on Ounty John Lane at around 1.25pm on Thursday and tried fighting it with hosepipes, but realised it wasn’t going to be enough as the fire spread.

He said he then rang the fire service and then took off down the road to help others on the street.

He said: “I saw a plume of smoke coming towards the woodland and realised it was a massive problem because it was blowing northwards towards our home, so called 999.

“I ran down the street and saw another massive fire, so I went to get an elderly gentleman out of his house at the top of the road.

“At that point, I rang 999 a second time as it was getting really bad and the smoke was coming towards us and it was becoming more difficult to breathe.”

Mr Hill said he had spoken to a lot of people around the area and said there had been a lot of emotion about what had happened.

He said: “It’s dreadful and I would probably describe it as something out of a movie as it was apocalyptic and just complete carnage.

“I have to say that fire and police have been unbelievable and the response was mega, with so many people coming in.

“I’m kind of in limbo land right now, waiting to see if anything has happened to my house, but I have CCTV that I’ve checked and it seems to be ok, so my thoughts are more with the people who have lost everything.”

Mr Hill was one of several residents who had been left in limbo, with Dave Price saying he had not even had the chance to get any clothes as he had been away when the fire started.

He said: “We were coming back from a day out and I was getting messages from some of the family saying there was trouble and, at the time, I was saying ‘don’t be silly as it’ll be nothing’, but by the time I got back, I couldn’t go down to my house.

“I’ve had to go out and buy clothes and stuff to brush my teeth and I’ve been able to stay with my daughter and with a good friend of mine, but I know how awful it is for the people here as they’re good people and I know them very well.

“I believe my house is ok as the fire service said they had been working from there, so I think I’m ok, but it’s just appalling what has happened.”

The feeling of shock was still being felt by local resident Julia, who said her home had been unaffected, but only because of the changing wind.

She said: “My house wasn’t far away from the fire, but if the wind had changed, it would have come to where I live, so I think I and the people around there have been very lucky.

“I think a lot of people around here are going to have nightmares for a long time to come about the whole thing because the situation is still bad and there’s still lots of grassland and fields, plus we’ve not had any rain, so it could still happen again.”

Residents affected by the Stourbridge fire were given further support as a member of the shadow cabinet came to meet them and hear their stories.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Cleverly met with residents who had been displaced from their homes due to the fire on Thursday.

Meeting near the main command centre for West Midlands Fire Service on Greyhound Lane, just off Norton Road, Mr Cleverly listened to their stories and spoke to them about their homes and how they were getting along.

Joined by former Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb, Mr Cleverly heard stories of coming home from a day out and finding the road blocked and of raising the alarm as it became clear how bad the fire was becoming.

He said he had been told about the scale and devastation of the fire and how the community had rallied around each other and said he had wanted to come to offer his own support and hear firsthand how they had dealt with the situation.

He said: “Like most people, I’ve not been in a situation where I’ve lost something like this, but you think of how many homes are affected and these are family homes and places that people have been brought up, raised their families and have a lot of memories embedded in them.

“I’ve said that the emergency services response has been fantastic and the people I’ve spoken to only have positive things to say, so I want to say a big thank you to them.”