Vintage motorcycles destroyed in Brewood fire

Gas cylinders caught fire in a South Staffordshire village – destroying vintage motorcycles worth thousands of pounds and forcing elderly residents to flee their homes.

Fifteen people were evacuated from their homes in Brewood and given shelter at a nearby fire station amid fears the three cylinders could explode.

Firefighters put a 650ft cordon around the scene of the blaze, in a garden in Tinkers Lane, after the fire took hold yesterday. Shocked witnesses described seeing the flames leaping 10ft into the air.

Firefighters from Brewood, Penkridge and Codsall attended the blaze at about 2pm and left after cooling the cylinders late last night.

Incident commander Paul Danby said residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure and were moved to Brewood Fire Station.

He said: "If one of those cylinders had exploded it could have been extremely dangerous," Mr Danby said it was believed the fire had started accidentally but that an investigation into its exact cause was now under way.