News Details

Walsall derelict building fire thought to be arson

26 Sep 2020
BBC News:


A severe fire at a derelict building is believed to have been started
deliberately, a fire service said.

Residents had to be evacuated from their homes when the blaze broke out at the site, in Marsh Lane, Walsall.
At its height, West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said it deployed 50 firefighters to the scene after they were called at 18:25 BST on Thursday.
A crew remained at the scene on Friday morning and a structural engineer was assessing the building's safety.
Photos showed smoke and flames billowing from the disused building in the town centre and a local resident said she "thought there were fireworks going off".

"It was so loud," Twitter user @Chely93x said. "Then I opened my balcony doors and all I could see was black smoke and people screaming, everyone was out on the front."
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WMFS said the fire was contained and under control by about 20:40 BST and residents had been returned to nearby Crown Loft apartments, however crews remained on Marsh Street overnight to fully extinguish it.