West Midlands Fire Service focus of new TV series which shows drama of Blackheath supermarket bomb scare

TV producers have been given exclusive access into the roles of firefighters in Britain's second busiest fire and rescue service.

Firefighters have been given state-of-the-art heat-proof helmet and body cameras to showcase their daring roles first hand.

The series called 'Into The Fire' begins on Really Channel on Monday at 10pm, in the first-ever UK fire documentary.

It becomes the latest emergency service in the West Midlands to reveal what life is look on the front line, after the series 'Ambulance' was shown on BBC One looking into the role of West Midlands Ambulance Service.

The first Into The Fire episode focuses on a busy day, just five days after the Manchester terror attack, where fire crews have to deal with a bomb explosion at a Sainsbury's store in Blackheath.

A boy, aged 16 at the time, who was armed with a knife, was jailed for four years and four months in September following the incident on May 27.

He detonated a bomb - made from hairspray cans, gas cannisters and tape - in a store cubicle.

A cleaner spotted the boy leaving the toilets with a knife and then noticed smoke rising from the toilet area, raising the alarm with colleagues.

The boy did not follow any extremist groups or hold any fanatical beliefs, but at the time firefighters responding to the incident had little information of what was happening.

Tensions were already heightened on the back of the Manchester terror attack, which killed 23 people and injured more than 500.

The Blackheath bomb explosion happened on the day of Birmingham's Gay Pride festival, where security was ramped up in what was the country's first large public event since the attack.

The narrator says: "A call comes in seven miles away (from Birmingham) that might realise everyone's worst fears."

Crews from Haden Cross Fire Station, in Cradley Heath, were sent to the scene.

Watch commander Matt Beckerleg, who responded to the scene, said: "It was heightened alert, I think if you are going to a reported explosion, crews just wanted to know as much information as they could really."

The narrator says: "Matt realises his crew maybe be the first emergency service at a potential terror attack."

When crews first attended the scene, they were given new information someone was armed with a knife.

Police had yet to arrive at this point, and crews had been told the culprit had gone into nearby bushes. Matt had to work in the situation the best he could.

With no immediate threat nearby, firefighters went into the store to locate the scene of the explosion.

They found parts of the toilet charred by flames and worked quickly to see if the fire was completely out. In one cubicle, firefighters found a closed rucksack and gas cannister, prompting safety fears.

The episode also showed West Midlands Fire Service at Birmingham's Gay Pride festival.

It also highlights the difficulty crews face when travelling to emergencies on the road, with one crew in Birmingham held up after parked cars on a street narrowed access and blocked off a fire engine.

As precious seconds tick by while a house was on fire, crews raced to find the car owner so they can pass through.

Into The Fire will be filmed almost entirely by crews themselves.

UKTV, which runs Really, says the series will have 'raw and dramatic footage will which give viewers a new and sometimes shocking insight into the life of a front line firefighter'.

It is also supported by powerful personal testimony from the heroic teams who attend the emergencies including fires, road traffic collisions and rescues.

Phil Loach, chief fire officer of West Midlands Fire Service, said: "We're delighted to be working with UKTV, Really and IMG on this ground-breaking series.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to tell the story of a 21st century fire and rescue service, which is about so much more than responding to fires and traffic collisions.

"We're very much looking forward to giving viewers a revealing insight into our work making the West Midlands safer, stronger and healthier."

Really is on channel 17 on Freeview, 155 on Sky, 129 on Virgin, 17 on Youview and 160 on Freesat.