Revealed: Cause of blaze at Smethwick builders yard which left man seriously hurt
The cause of a blaze at a Smethwick industrial estate which saw a man taken to hospital with serious injuries has been revealed.
Fire crews were called to the blaze on King Street, near to Lewisham Road, at 1.45pm on Wednesday (January 1).
It happened at the site of building suppliers M.K Builders Merchant Ltd, just one mile away from West Bromwich Albion's Hawthorns stadium where the team were playing against Preston in a New Year's Day match.
The fire had occurred in a timber-built storage structure at the builder's yard and involved propane gas cylinders and lithium batteries.
Fire investigators have now ruled the blaze was started accidentally, a West Midlands Fire Service spokesman said.
At the height of the fire, 40 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and 12 fire appliances were in attendance.
Downing Street and Cornwall Road were closed while fire crews worked at the scene, but later reopened.
Firefighters left the scene at around 10pm and visited a further three times to check for hotspots.
Man seriously hurt
One ambulance was called to King Street on the day of the fire at 1.47pm where crews discovered a man hurt.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "Upon arrival we found a man who was assessed and had sustained serious injuries which were not believed to be life threatening.
"He received treatment at the scene before being conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital under emergency blue light conditions for further treatment.”