Dramatic new footage of inferno at Oldbury alcohol distillery
[gallery] DOZENS of families were today returning to their homes after a devastating blaze that ripped through an alcohol distillery, as new helicopter footage of the drama was revealed.
Around 200 people living near Alcohols Ltd in Oldbury were forced to flee their homes when the plant went up in flames yesterday.
Several roads were closed in the immediate area amid fears that the inferno could spread.
A police cordon was today still in place in Hall Street but most homeowners have now been allowed back to their properties. However, electricity was today still off to homes in Vicarage Street, Hall Street and Crosswells Road.
Scroll to the end of the story to see new helicopter footage of the blaze
The fire at the distillery, in Crosswells Road, was extinguished at around 4am. The exact cause of the blaze is not yet known although is believed to have happened when chemicals were transferred from large tanks outside the main building into smaller drums. Darren O'Neill, who lives with his wife Fiona in Hall Street, was waiting to hear when he could return home. His family stayed in the Ramada Hotel last night after being sent to an emergency evacuation centre at nearby Moat Farm Junior School. He said: "We just haven't been told anything.
"We don't know what to expect when we go back. We have a conservatory at the back and we are worried it has melted. We have lived here for the last 11 years and then have been a couple of minor incidents but nothing as major as this."
Plumes
Alcohols Ltd went up in flames just before 10am yesterday, sending flames and plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Dozens of residents were left standing in the cold after being evacuated, many still in their pyjamas, fearful that their homes would also go up in flames.
Station commander Malcolm Fellows said: "The first thing we are getting in is the structural engineers to assess the side of the building to assess whether it could collapse."
Chief Inspector Neil Hobson, the Force Incident Manager, said: "The fire is largely extinguished now and so we are able to reduce the cordon this morning as the concerns for safety have reduced. Many people had to spend the night away from their homes but hopefully they should all be allowed to return this morning."
One man, believed to be in his 20s, was treated for burn injuries to his hands and back and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
The chemical distribution company was formed in 1955 and their head office is in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Click to see dramatic aerial footage of the fire. Courtesy of West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service
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