Factory Unit Fire, Peartree Lane, Dudley

Our crews have made good progress at the scene of this incident.

We'll be scaling back our resources at the scene, to 4 fire engines and a hydraulic aerial platform, shortly.

A member of our specialist drone team has been in attendance aiding crews in identifying hot spots using the drone's thermal image capability.

Firefighters are continuing to damp down identified hotspots, where found.

A reduction of the outer cordon, to allow nearby businesses to re-open, is a priority for all agencies involved. West Midlands Police are supporting our teams with this.

It's expected Peartree lane will re-open around 7pm.

Our fire investigation team have been working to identify a cause, but one has not been confirmed as yet.

Crews continue to make good progress and are damping down hot spots in affected areas of the building.

Peartree lane has now been re-opened and plans in place to allow local businesses previously affected to re-open, where possible.

Investigations into the cause have concluded for today, but a cause is not yet determined. Further investigations will take place tomorrow.

It's anticipated crews will revisit the scene during the night, however, main firefighting activity is likely to cease around 10pm this evening.

Further updates, where applicable, will be issued tomorrow.

A crew re-visited the scene during the night to check for hotspots with a thermal-imaging camera, but non were found.

A further re-visit is planned for later this morning.