Dudley flats evacuated after car crash sparks building safety concerns
A three-storey block of flats was evacuated after a car crashed into it in the early hours sparking concerns for the structural safety of the building.
West Midlands Fire service was called to Attingham Drive, Dudley at 12.19am.
The crews from Brierley Hill and Dudley stations found a car burrowed into a ground-floor flat.
The driver of the car managed to get himself out of the vehicle and was taken to hospital for further checks.
An evacuation of the building, which contains six flats, was carried out as a precaution.
Fire crews then worked to provide stability to the building before residents of all but two of the flats returned to their homes.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said: "At 12.19am in the early hours of Friday we responded to Attingham Drive, Dudley where a car had been in collision with a three-storey block of flats.
"Crews from our fire stations in Brierley Hill and Dudley attended, together with members of our Technical Rescue Unit. The first arrived three minutes after being mobilised.
"They found one car embedded in a ground-floor flat. The driver, believed to be in his early forties, had managed to get himself out of the vehicle. He was assessed by the ambulance service and taken to hospital for further checks.
"Everyone who was in the building, which contains six flats, was evacuated as a safety precaution. The residents of all but two flats later returned to their homes, following an assessment of the building by a structural engineer.
"We worked with the police, council and the building’s owner to formulate a plan which involved removal of the vehicle by a recovery firm and shoring up of the building by our crews. We had left the scene by 6am."
