West Bromwich fire started due to 'small battery' company confirms

A representative for a waste management business in West Bromwich has confirmed that a fire in their yard this morning was started by a ‘small battery’.

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) were called to the scene of Robert Hopkins Environment Services Limited, on Bullock Street, West Bromwich, at around 9.39am this morning following reports of a fire at the property.

Four fire engines were dispatched to the scene, with WMFS confirming that crews are now ‘dampening down’ the affected areas.

Luckily, the fire was mostly dealt with by the specialist team at Robert Hopkins, with a spokesperson for the company saying that the issue ‘was identified and dealt with quickly.’

The spokesperson said: “Our staff are highly trained for this and the issue was identified quickly.

“It was caused by a small battery that was wrongly disposed of. The issue was dealt with prior to the fire service getting here.”

The public was advised to ‘avoid the area’ where possible during the fire; however, the fire service has confirmed that crews are now in the ‘damping down’ process.

Louis Parker, aged 38, a resident who lives and works in the area, said: “I didn’t see much to do with it, to be honest, but it looked like it was dealt with pretty quickly.

“I’m glad it wasn’t like the one in Wolverhampton the other day. Well done to the team and the fire service for dealing with it.”

Crews remained at the site as of 12.16pm today.