'The smoke was towering over the building': Workers describe scene of Walsall factory blaze where smoke was 'visible for miles'

Emergency services rushed to the scene of Westgate, Aldridge, at around 12pm a fter receiving multiple 999 calls alerting them of a blaze at a commercial address on the road. 

At around 1pm, the West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that eight fire engines and around 40 firefighters were tackling the blaze, with neighbouring workers saying that the fire 'could be seen for miles' around.

By 2pm, the smoke from the smoke was no longer present, however, fire service personel were still on the scene dampening down the site.

Now, neighbouring workers have described seeing the smoke 'high above the buildings' and the shock of seeing the emergency services response. 

Edward Maynard, 43, of Aldridge, said: "I saw the smoke when I came outside, there is a few buildings between us and that one, but you could see it high over the top of the other buildings.

"There's a lot of fire engines here. I haven't heard if anyone has been hurt at all, but I hope everyone is okay."

The fire took place on the site of the JC Payne building, a factory which builds commercial vehicle parts.

Sara Vickers, 50, of Bloxwich, said: "I thought it was ground works to start off with, but the smoke got high pretty quickly, so you knew it was something bad.

"Me and a few others went down to see if everyone was alright and everyone looked like they had been evacuated. I hope no one's hurt though."

Updating on the fire, a West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said: "Just before 12noon on Monday 14 April, we started to receive several 999 calls to factory premises in Westgate, Aldridge.

"As of 1pm we had eight fire engines at the scene, some 40 firefighters, plus a hydraulic aerial platform.

"Crews are making good progress containing the fire, which is at a site where commercial vehicle bodies are built."