Fire crews tackle huge Kingswinford barn blaze

More than 30 firefighters were called to tackle the flames at the farm building in Ketley Road, Kingswinford, last night.

The cause of the fire at the barn, which measured about 49ft by 65ft and also housed farming vehicles and tractor tyres, is unknown but is being treated as suspicious.

Crews from Brierley Hill, Cradley and Oldbury were dispatched to the scene at about 7.30pm and spent the night dousing the flames using six fire-fighting main jets.

By about 10pm, some members of the four crews were nearing the end of their shifts and requested relief as well as a specialist unit to provide more light for firefighters remaining at the scene. A crew from Stourbridge was also called to help at 10pm and remained there until just after 4am today.

By 5am this morning, two fire crews were still at the scene, using a mechanical digger to remove the burning straw from the barn into a nearby field.

Two main jets and one hose reel were also still there and a West Midlands Fire Service spokesman said: "Crews are making very good progress."

This morning a cordon was in place around the barn, barring members of the public from getting onto the property.

After about 12 hours of fighting the fire, a crewman from Brierley Hill station said firefighters expected to remain at the scene until this evening today. The barn had been completely destroyed, he added.

"It was quite a significant fire," he said.

Meanwhile, Crews from Tipton and Woodgate Valley had to be called in to deal with a fire in Amblecote, Stourbridge, just before 3am.

An abandoned work unit on Platts Close caught alight with a large amount of rubbish inside.

The fire was between the brick building, measuring about 5m by 8m, and an open-fronted bay loading area with an asbestos roof. About 20 firefighters were called to the scene and two crews were still there at 5am this morning.

The cause of the fire is unknown.