'We're all gutted as it had only just opened up': Black Country worker shares shock at fire at factory unit
A worker at a Black Country factory unit left damaged by a late night fire has said he and his colleagues have been left devastated by what has happened.
Fire crews from across the Black Country were called to reports of a fire at a factory unit on Station Road in Old Hill in Cradley Heath at around 10.50pm on Friday night.
Around six crews, as well as a hydraulic platform, worked to tackle the fire at Claron Polyseal, which stores hydraulic seals, lumber and plastic, with the fire having been reported to be in a storage area.
The area around the unit was still cordoned off the morning after, with fire investigation officers working alongside firefighters to check the scene, dampen down any hotspots and work to determine the cause.
A metallic and foul smell also came out of the unit, which is located near Old Hill railway station and is in the middle of an industrial estate, while fire damage could be seen on the roof.
A worker at Claron Polyseal, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had been told what was happening very late night and described what he saw when he went down.
He said: "I got a knock on the door from a neighbour who told me the factory was on fire, so I went down to see what was happening and it was pretty bad, although restricted to the back of the store as the stuff is pretty flammable.
"I know my area in the factory wasn't affected by it, apart from the smoke, and it's mostly the supply side, but I'm surprised a fire could break out as everything that is flammable is locked away.
"I'm pretty gutted, as is everyone else, as we've only just started back up and I've been here two weeks. I'd been made redundant in October, but then called back in February to work here, so I'm just gutted."
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "We were called to reports of a fire at a factory unit on Station Road in Old Hill in Cradley Heath at around 10.50pm on Friday.
"Initially, two fire crews from Haden Cross attended, then one each from Oldbury, Brierley Hill, Woodgate Valley, Smethwick and Tipton, as well as an hydraulic platform from Highgate.
"The fire was in a single storey industrial unit, measuring 50 metres by 30 metres, and 60 per cent of it was involved in the fire, which was contained to a storage unit, with the production area unaffected by fire, but 100 per cent of the building was affected by smoke and water damage.
"A fire investigation team is working at the scene to determine cause, while a fire crew has remained at the scene."
