Factory Road, Birmingham, UK
Shortly after 8.40am on Wednesday (6 March), we responded to Factory Road in the Hockley area of Birmingham. Ten fire engines and an aerial hydraulic platform are in attendance, crewed by around 40 firefighters. The first arrived within four minutes of being mobilised. This is a fire in an industrial unit, involving several cars which are well alight. Crews are working to extinguish the fire and stop it spreading to nearby buildings. We also have drone operators at the scene.
Updates for this incident
Good progress is being made at this incident and firefighting continues in three sections of the building. The road leading into the Hive Industrial Centre has been closed as work continues at the scene.
Good progress is being made at this incident and the main seats of fire have been extinguished. Crews remain on scene, accessing hotspots and smaller seats of fire within parts of the building. Specialist Technical Rescue colleagues are also onsite, assisting with working at height. Ten appliances and a hydraulic aerial platform remain in attendance. The smoke plume has reduced significantly. Properties around the site can re-open their windows, but consider keeping them shut if necessary. Factory Road in Hockley is likely to remain closed until at least 6pm, to allow firefighting to continue. We would like to thank local residences and businesses for their cooperation and understanding.
Crews continue to make progress at this incident. Four fire engines and a hydraulic aerial platform remain at the scene. A Bobcat (type of forklift) is being used to move burnt-out vehicles to allow better access to the 20 tonnes of rubbish. Two main jets are in use damping down the affected units and thermal imaging cameras are being used to identify and monitor hot spots. Factory Road remains closed at this time and is expected to be during the night. However, crews are trying to prioritise re-opening the road as soon as it is safe to do so.
Two fire engines and a 4×4 brigade response vehicle remain at the scene. Good progress was made overnight as crews worked to extinguish hot spots. Around 20 tonnes of rubbish will be dug out by firefighters throughout the day. Factory Road has re-opened to traffic. We would like to thank residents and businesses for their understanding whilst the road was closed. Our Fire Investigation Officers believe this fire started accidentally due to an electrical fault in one of the units.
Checks for hotspots continued overnight, but none were found. We will continue to assess the site throughout the day.
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