Car catches fire outside Wolverhampton outdoor market

A fire crew from Wolverhampton was called to Cleveland Street in the city centre at around 7.03am after reports of a white Mercedes on fire.

The crew was able to get the fire under control and had left the scene at around 8.14am, with the front of the car still smoking and a charred, blackened mess.

The road was closed off between Bell Street and Snow Hill while the crew tackled the blaze, which a local shop owner confirmed had started after the owner had parked and left the vehicle.

Saaed Khan, who owns Family Butchers, said he had seen the car parked outside, with the driver inside, at around 7am and had only been away for about 10 minutes, but returned to find the car ablaze and fire crews in attendance.

He said: "I was standing in here getting the shop ready and saw the car outside the market, with the driver inside watching something on his phone.

"I decided to go and get a coffee at around 7am and I was probably only gone 10 minutes, but came back to see the car on fire and the driver standing over to the side while the fire service tackled the fire.

"I'm really surprised how quickly it all happened as I was only away 10 minutes and had seen no smoke or anything, then came back to see a proper fire."

Bus services along Cleveland Street were diverted along Wolverhampton Ring Road and Snow Hill while the incident was in progress, with services back up and running at around 8am.

A spokesman for National Express West Midlands said at the time: "Due to an Emergency service lead incident at Cleveland Street in Wolverhampton, the 1, 2, 3, 4, 15 and 16 services will be diverting both directions via the Ring Road and Snow Hill. 

"We apologise for any disruption to your journey."

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "We were called out to reports of a car fire on Cleveland Street in Wolverhampton at 7.03am.

"A crew from Wolverhampton attended the scene and found a white Mercedes on fire, with the driver at the scene, and used hose reels to extinguish the blaze, with no casualties at the scene.

"The fire was confirmed as out and the crews had left the scene by 8.14am. The cause of the fire is not yet known."