WATCH: Drone captures carnage of blaze at Wolverhampton factory site
Footage taken from the sky shows the devastation caused by a major fire at a factory in the Black Country.
Flames and plumes of smoke filled the air after the blaze took hold of the building, which was full of Christmas decorations, on Monday night.
Pictures captured from a drone camera flying above the scene, in Alma Street, Heath Town, Wolverhampton, show the fire taking over the building, which was used by Exhibitions International. The company declined to comment on the fire.
WATCH: Footage capturing the blaze from above. Video by Ryan Haytree
On the dramatic drone pictures, the blaze can be seen taking over the building, as its structure is eaten away by flames.
The cause of the blaze is still not known, as West Midlands Fire Service continue their investigations.
More than 60 firefighters were called to the scene at around 9.40pm on Monday – and the crews battled the blaze for several hours but were able to extinguish the flames by 2.40am on Tuesday.
One business was damaged by the fire, while three others were affected by gas, electricity or water disruption. Residents living nearby were told to keep their windows and doors closed as acrid smoke blew across high-rise flats and homes.
The affected building was left gutted and charred by the flames.
Christmas decorations were being stored inside the building at the time. The items were being stored inside the factory unit which was split into four separate spaces.
The intensity of the fire led to the collapse of the roof and structural walls inside the unit. Group commander Nigel Sowden, who helped tackle the flames over Monday night, said the fire was dealt with through ‘assertive, safe and effective firefighting which stopped the fire spreading to two other industrial units.’
Water was pumped from a nearby canal.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said yesterday morning that the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Roger Lawrence, the leader of Wolverhampton Council, said the local authority would be offering its support to the businesses affected by the fire.
Councillor Lawrence said: “The fire is very disruptive to those businesses affected.
We will work with them to try and see if there is anything we can do for them.”
