I went to the scene of a major fire near my Wolverhampton home - and I couldn't believe the sheer scale of it

When I was informed of the fire on Sunbeam Street on Wednesday morning and asked to go down and cover it for the paper, my first thoughts were of that fire and how there might be a bit of damage, but nothing too big to worry about.

That thought changed dramatically when I walked out of my front door and saw the huge smoke cloud rising into the sky in front of me. 

With thick, black smoke rising up and moving with great speed, I realised that this fire was not a quick fix, so hurried over to Upper Villiers Street, the road next to where the fire was taking place.

As I reached the top of the hill where Upper Villiers Street begins, the severity of the fire became more apparent through at least two police cars blocking the top of the road to oncoming traffic, then the view of more smoke further down in the business park.

People were coming out of their homes and businesses on Upper Villiers Street to see what was happening, while fire engines could be seen lining the street around the curve towards the business park.

As I walked down, I could begin to smell the smoke, with an acrid and sour smell emanating through the air, while the number of people standing and looking and taking photos of the fire increased as I was walking down to Moorfield Road where the main cordon was.

It was an area awash with people and equipment, including one man directing traffic back along Cross Street, due to the road down to Marston Road being closed off, and a larger number of fire engines and police cars on the scene.

A worker from a company near the fire, said he hoped the fire wouldn't cause any damage to the company's building.

He said: "I think we should be ok as the fire is going the other way, but we saw the orange glow from our windows.

"I was driving in from the M6 Toll and saw the smoke from there, so you can tell how bad it is.

"We hope it doesn't cause any damage as it's going to cost a lot to repair things"

Being there also gave me a chance to see where the fire was coming from, with smoke moving very quickly from the area behind Express Bodyworks, and so I headed up Moorfield Road to where the fire service cordon was and to take a look at what the fire looked like.

The scene was a grim one, with a fire service platform firing water across the wide area of the factory, which was a mixture of black smoke and flames which rose up and danced around the factory unit.

One person near the site said to me how he had seen the smoke cloud from Codsall.

He said: "I was travelling into work this morning and saw the cloud from Codsall.

"People have been telling me about the fire and how they've seen someone running out of their business with gas canisters and other bits.

"It's frightening because of how big it looks and how high the flames are."

There was a constant stream of firefighters heading into the site to take over from colleagues, while the platform was kept busy firing at the different areas where flames could be seen.

I could also feel the heat from the fire and smell the smoke again, not a pleasant sensation and one I would rather avoid in the future.

What was more concerning was the sheer scale of the fire and the number of fire engines at the scene, with crews working as much as they could to contain the fire.

The scale of it became clear when those standing and watching were told to move further back as the cordon around the area, with smoke and flames being visible from properties next to the unit and based on Upper Villiers Street.

On the other side of the street was the Guru Teg Bahadur Gurdwara, which was still open and welcoming in people for prayers and to eat in the Langar kitchen.

I spoke to a member of the Gurdwara, who said he wasn't worried about the fire and it would remain open for people in need.

He said: "We are working here as normal and are open to anyone looking for a place to get warm

"I'm not overly concerned about the fire affecting us as I think the fire service are doing the best they can to contain it."

The fire service are still working as I write this to tackle the blaze and bring it under control, a difficult task considering the scale of the fire and the large black cloud still in the skies over my home.

It was a sight which caught other people in the area, such as Karl Geraghty, who saw the smoke from his home in the area and spoke of what he saw and heard.

He said: "I got up this morning at around 6.30 and went to make some coffee and as I opened the back door, I saw a small plume of smoke and thought it could be a skip fire in someone else's yard, although it did look a bit more serious.

"I then looked again later and the smoke cloud was a lot bigger and the air was full of smoke and I just thought that this wasn't an ordinary fire, but a lot more serious, and I also heard what sounded like a number of mini explosions.

"I know a lot of the business owners around there and I've built up contacts with them and all I could think was just what a crying shame it will for all those businesses."