Firefighters tackle blaze at landmark Sunbeam factory in training exercise

Officials used straw to create a controlled fire in the former Sunbeam factory in Wolverhampton as part of a search and rescue simulation to test firefighters' abilities to navigate an industrial venue they were unfamiliar with.

Members of the public could see thick plumes of smoke pouring out of the building's windows.

Saturday morning's exercise was the first to be staged at the iconic factory site on Wolverhampton's ring road, which has been derelict for more than 15 years but is now earmarked for 115 homes.

A total of 15 fire engines were involved in the three-hour exercise, as well as an incident command unit and senior officers. Hidden in different parts of the building were 10 dummy bodies and eight live 'casualties', which all had to be recovered safely.

The volunteers from the Casualty Simulation Group, based in Stourbridge, wore make-up and acted out specific injuries to add to the realism.

Watch commander Tony Bucknall, from Merridale Fire Station, said the day had been a success in helping the firefighters think outside the box.

He added: "We always do inform the public so they are aware. I tweeted about this this morning. It can look very realistic, but then it's supposed to. I hope no one was too shocked." Crews came from stations in Fallings Park, Tettenhall, West Bromwich, Dudley, Bilston, Walsall, Cradley, Oldbury, Brierley Hill, Stourbridge, Bloxwich, Woodgate Valley, Sutton Coldfield and Handsworth.

Standby teams were on hand at each location, as is always the case during weekend training.

Jeff Vaughan, whose father was chief electrician at Wolverhampton Die Casting when it was housed at the site during the 1950s and 1960s, had been passing by to do some shopping when he saw the fire engines.

He said: "I was just shocked. I thought, 'Oh no!' From a child I just remember that building where my father worked.

"When they told me what was happening it was a feeling of relief."