Large fire at event hall, Hockley Circus, Birmingham

Our Drones have been used at the scene to aid our crews in bringing the fire under control.

Roads are gradually being re-opened but may be temporarily closed for access or safety reasons as the incident progresses. Our guidance remains in place to avoid the area.

Crews continue to make progress on scene, tackling the blaze within the insulation of the roof space. Upon our arrival all occupants had evacuated from the building.

Local residents are advised to continue to keep their windows and doors closed throughout the night and look for further guidance in the morning.

Our crews will be in attendance for a considerable amount of time. All known persons are accounted for and our investigation into the cause is underway.

This is a complex incident due to the location of the fire within the roof space of the building. Our operation has been scaled down throughout the night as the fire was brought under control. We currently have 4 fire engines, a number of other specialist vehicles and 35 crew on scene.

Roads within the local area remain affected this morning with our advice to avoid the area and find alternative routes still in place.

Good progress is being made at this incident and crews are tackling hot spots.

We have 6 crews in attendance, alongside other specialist vehicles and officers.

Members of our technical rescue team are also assisting with stripping away areas of the roof to allow firefighters better access where needed.

Goode Avenue, Whitmore Street and The Crescent remain closed.

The cause is still being investigated.

Local residents and businesses in the immediate vicinity are requested to still keep doors and windows closed, as there is still smoke issuing from the site.

Crews continue to make good, but slow, progress damping down hotspots in the building, with the assistance of our technical rescue team.

West Midlands Police are assisting us on site with appropriate cordons.

It's anticipated we will remain in attendance for some time.

A structural engineer has been requested to evaluate the building.

The incident is still ongoing with crews damping down hot spots. Our drone is in use to aid the identification of hot spots to allow our crews to deal with them.

A short while ago, the incident was scaled down to 4 crews, supported by a hydraulic platform and command support vehicle.

A structural engineer has assessed the building and liaised with the owner and fire service personnel. No immediate concerns regarding wall integrity have been identified.

Crews are continuing to damp down and are expected to be in attendance overnight while they continue to deal with hot spots.

Residents and local businesses are now free to open doors and windows.

It's expected that the previously reported road closures will cease within the next few hours.

A further update will be released on Friday 16th.

Our investigations into the fire continue. It appears to have started accidentally, although the precise cause has yet to be established.

Throughout Friday (16 Sept) one fire engine and crew have remained at the scene.

Supported by our drone team, they have been working to spot and deal with any remaining hotpots.

We expect to be at the scene, or make revisits, throughout the weekend.

Members of our Technical Rescue Unit are also likely to be there at times, to advise on accessing certain areas of the premises.

Our fire investigators have now completed their enquiries.

They're satisfied that the most likely cause of the fire was heat from a blowtorch being used to repair a roof.