Family flee Stourbridge house as fire rips through loft
A family fled from their terraced home when a fire started in the loft, and in a separate blaze a man was rushed to hospital and his pet guinea pig died.
Five fire crews were called when flames tore through the roofspace of a property in Stourbridge. A woman in her 40s and her three teenage children spotted smoke pouring from the loft, which was being converted.
Fire crews battled to stop the flames spreading to neighbouring properties after the blaze damaged the roof tiles. They said one of the teenage boys had been in there with a cigarette lighter moments before and it is believed the blaze was started accidentally.
Firefighters had to break through some of the roof tiles to access the fire and create a "vent" to control it.
The family were standing outside the house in Wychbury Road, Pedmore, when fire crews arrived at 2.50pm yesterday.
Watch commander Nick Lacey, of Brierley Hill fire station, said: "We got it under control within 15 or 20 minutes but the problem we had then was keeping it confined to this house.
"It looked quite significant when we arrived because there was smoke coming from the roof at the houses either side."
Meanwhile, a man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in his kitchen in Lea Street, Kidderminster. His pet guinea pig died.
Four firefighters brought the fire in the kitchen of the terraced property under control using two hose reel jets.
The kitchen was severely damaged, and there was also fire damage in the living room and extensive smoke damage. The fire, at 5.35am yesterday, is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault in the kitchen.
By Adam?Burling
