Factory unit almost destroyed as fire takes hold

About 90% of a factory unit near a city centre has been destroyed in a fire.

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said the blaze broke out in a three-storey building on Rea Street in Digbeth, Birmingham, shortly before 09:00 BST on Tuesday.

Roads were closed at the site, near to where the city's Pride celebrations are due to be held at the weekend, and police were called in to help direct traffic.

A WMFS spokesperson said the fire was mostly out by the middle of the afternoon but crews stayed on the scene into the evening to tackle several remaining hotspots. No other buildings were damaged.

The spokesperson described the fire at its peak as "severe" and said it was causing a "large amount of smoke", with people living nearby urged to keep their windows and doors closed.

At one point, there were nine fire engines and 50 firefighters on the scene.

WMFS area commander Steve Ball said they had been working in "challenging conditions".

"I want to thank our firefighters for their assertive actions which meant the fire was contained to the building of origin," he added.

Chris Shepherd, from Stafford, was at the site at about 09:00 BST and saw the first fire engine arrive.

"When I first saw it, there was a plume of black smoke and it spread towards the back of the building," he said.

"You could see the roof was on fire and the smoke and flames were quite high."

He also said he found it interesting watching the firefighters work and how they "came together" to tackle the blaze.

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