Fire in five-storey student block, Edgbaston

Chamberlain Hall, Church Road, Birmingham, UK

At 10.05pm on Thursday (15 June) we responded to a fire in five-storey student accommodation on Church Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Eight fire engines and an aerial platform attended, crewed by firefighters from several of the city’s fire stations. The first crew arrived within five minutes of being mobilised.

This was a fire in the kitchen of a third-floor flat, which is believed to have started when cooking was left unattended.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the building. A main jet was also used to extinguish the fire.

By 10.45pm, everybody had been accounted for. Around 40 residents had evacuated themselves from the building.

The fire was confirmed to be out by 11pm, and some residents were able to go back inside half an hour later. However, some needed to be found alternative accommodation by university staff.

All of the flat was damaged by fire, and all of the third floor affected by smoke.

We started to scale down our resources at the scene around 12.30am on Friday.

Firefighters revisited at 7am on Friday morning and found no remaining hotspots.