Child seriously hurt in fire among five in hospital

A child suffered serious injuries in a blaze at a flat that saw nine people rescued, five of whom had to be taken to hospital.

Emergency crews were called the two-storey flat above a shop on Redwood Road, Walsall, shortly after 22:00 GMT on Saturday, fire bosses said.

Nine fire engines were sent to the scene and nineteen firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze, West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) confirmed.

A boy - who has potentially life-threatening injuries - was taken to hospital along with two women, a man and a teenage male who were treated for smoke inhalation, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

A spokesperson for the service said a further four people were assessed and received self-care advice from paramedics before being discharged at the scene.

WMFS said the blaze began in the hallway on the ground floor, in the entrance to the flat between two shops, before spreading upwards.

Crews remained at the scene during the night and into the early hours of the morning.

An investigation into the cause was being carried out by the fire service and West Midlands Police.

Chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said: "On their arrival my firefighters worked extremely hard in really challenging conditions and rescued four people from the block via a ladder."

Other people affected were assisted out of the block by the crews, he confirmed.

"I want to pay tribute to all the fire service's staff who attended the incident," he added.

"Every day they are willing to put their lives at risk to protect the people of the West Midlands, and this tragic incident is one example of this."

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