Pictures reveal devastation of Wolverhampton factory fire
Police forensic experts were today investigating the cause of a fire that ripped through an industrial unit in the early hours of the morning.
Officers were called to the aftermath of the blaze which took hold at GT Display building on the Hilton Trading Estate, Spring Vale, on Saturday.
Forensic experts are now working with fire investigators at the scene as the last fire crew left at 12.30pm yesterday.
At its peak, a total of eight fire crews were sent to the fire on Hilton Road, which started at around 3.30am and destroyed the inside of the business.
Flames could be seen licking at the side of the building with plumes of smoke gushing into the air.
WATCH footage of the blaze:
These photos show the interior of the building that was alight, with crews using hose-reel jets through a gap in the corrugated iron shutter to extinguish the flames.
Yesterday, forensic experts could be seen on ladders examining dust and debris on the window panes.
The industrial estate is situated in the middle of a residential area though fire crews did not need to evacuate homes.
A resident, who wished not to be named, said he could see huge plumes of thick black smoke coming from the building at 3am.
He then spotted the blue lights of the passing fire engines and watched them speed past the industrial estate and continue down Hilton Road.
He said: “I immediately called 999 and told the operator that the crew had gone past the entrance to the industrial estate.
“I was advised to go out of my house and flag them down, which I did.
“The industrial estate is meant to be in operation from 9am until 7pm but you get people working there all times of the day and night.
“It wasn’t frightening but I was certainly concerned to see the smoke.
“I think the fire crews went past because it was so dark and the smoke was so black and thick.”
More than 30 firefighters battled the blaze at its peak including crews from Bilston Blue Watch, Fallings Park, Wolverhampton, Tipton, Dudley, Smethwick and West Bromwich.
An aerial platform was brought in from Walsall as the blaze engulfed the building. It was used to douse the fire from the roof, which collapsed in the heat of the flames.
The owners of GT Display, which makes acrylic displays such as A-boards and leaflet holders, were alongside firefighters in the early hours. They will not be allowed back in the premises until the fire investigation is complete.
Crews were still damping down the site over the weekend, with water being pumped from a nearby underground source within the estate.
The blackened remains of the roof had fallen into the building, with charred debris flying outside in the wind.
Nearby businesses also suffered due to smoke damage caused by the blaze and owners yesterday were assessing the damage.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: “The last fire crew from Bilston left the scene at 12.30pm on Sunday.
“A fire investigation officer is at the scene and will be working with police and forensic specialists to determine the cause.”
A business owner from a nearby unit, who did not wish to be named, said: “I don’t know where we go from here.
“None of the machines are working anymore, everything is melted. Smoke damage is everywhere.”
Entrance to the unit was yesterday still cordoned off. No one from GT Display was available to comment.
