Firefighters tackle blaze in derelict building
Two roads in Smethwick, in the West Midlands, are set to be closed for much of the day after a huge fire in a derelict building.
At its height, 12 fire crews tackled the blaze on Anderson Road, in Bearwood, after being deployed at about 01:15 BST.
No casualties have been reported and the response has since been scaled back. However West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said Bearwood and Anderson Road would remain closed for most of Sunday.
West Midlands Police said it was working with fire crews to enforce road closures and help establish the cause of the blaze.
A drone will be deployed to monitor the structure and "complex nature" of the building, WMFS said, adding that "good progress" was being made in the investigation into the cause of the blaze.
Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
West Midlands Fire Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Daera 'possibly failed' to comply with law over wild birds
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) may have failed to comply with environmental law, according to a new report. It is in relation to special protection areas for at-risk wild birds, such as puffins, whooper swans and light-bellied Brent geese. An investigation from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) had been previously launched in March 2024, following potential failures to implement recommendations given by a conservation body. Daera said it welcomes the OEP's work and will be "considering the investigation findings", whilst recognising "that there is much more to do to protect our natural environment and the habitats that wild birds and other wildlife need to survive and thrive". The OEP has issued Daera with a notice, which they must respond to within two months. A full response will be delivered by the deadline of 5 August Helen Venn, the OEP chief regulatory officer has said that the government has a legal obligation to maintain populations of wild birds and ensure they have enough suitable habitat. Ms Venn said "our investigation has found what we believe to be possible failures to comply with environmental law by DAERA relating to the protection of wild birds". She noted the decline in wild birds across Northern Ireland, adding that recent studies have placed "a quarter of birds found on the island of Ireland on the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List". The investigation in March 2024 looked into failures to implement recommendations given by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and other conservation public bodies on the classification and adaptation of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) A parallel investigation is looking at the same issues relating to England, and information notices have also been issued to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary of State (SoS) and Natural England. The Office for Environmental Protection, external is a new environmental governance body, which holds the government and other public authorities in England and Northern Ireland to account on their environmental protection and improvement. It also covers reserved UK-wide matters. It advises the government and Northern Ireland Assembly on any changes to environmental law. It has statutory powers to investigate and enforces compliance with environmental law where needed. That enforcement can include legal action if unresolved through compliance with recommendations. Department investigated over bird protection areas Department investigated over ammonia guidance Bird flu causes 'dramatic decline' in NI seabirds
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
Explosion and fire hit Singapore-flagged container ship off southern Indian coast
NEW DELHI (AP) — An explosion and subsequent fire were reported onboard a Singapore-flagged container ship off the coast of Kerala in southern India on Monday, a spokesperson for the Indian Coast Guard said. Of the 22 crew members onboard the MV Wan Hai 503, 18 abandoned the vessel with assistance from the Indian Navy and Coast Guard while four are missing, Commandant Amit Uniyal said in a statement. One of the rescued crew members sustained serious injuries. Two of the four missing are nationals of Taiwan, one is from Indonesia and one from Myanmar, Uniyal said. The navy and coast guard have launched a search operation for the missing, aided by a Dornier aircraft. The navy uses Dornier aircraft primarily for maritime surveillance, search and rescue operations. A number of ships have also been sent to help put out the fire some 88 nautical miles from the coast of Beypore in Kerala. 'The vessel is presently adrift, and firefighting efforts have commenced to bring the situation under control,' said Uniyal. 'Saving lives of the crew in distress, firefighting and mitigating environment hazard remains the priority for coast guard.' He said they were working to establish the details of the ship's cargo and any potential risks it could cause. The 890-foot vessel left the Sri Lankan port of Colombo on June 7 and was set to arrive in Mumbai, India on Monday. The coast guard received a distress alert from the ship Monday morning reporting an explosion and subsequent fire inside one of the containers onboard. The fire later spread to other containers. The coast guard has not yet given the cause of the explosion and fire. The vessel is managed by Singapore-based Wan Hai Lines, according to a statement from Singaporean authorities. Late last month, a Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 container ship sailing between the Indian ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi sank about 38 nautical miles off Kerala. The state government issued a high alert in its coastal areas and asked fishermen not to venture near the site where the container ship, which carried hazardous cargo, had sunk.
CBS News
6 hours ago
- CBS News
Red Lobster restaurant in Monroe County considered a total loss after an overnight fire
A Red Lobster restaurant building in Monroe County, Michigan, was destroyed after a fire was discovered early Monday on site. The restaurant at 1553 North Dixie Highway, Frenchtown Township, is amid the restaurants and hotels that are just off Interstate 75's Exit 15. There were no injuries, and no damage to the nearby buildings. "Obviously, the building is a total loss," Frenchtown Township Fire Chief Wendy Stevens said about 5 a.m. when firefighters remained on scene and smoke was still rising from the building. Stevens said a passerby called emergency services about 2:16 a.m., reporting there was smoke coming from the building. By that time, the crews who worked Sunday night had left. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke and flames visible and started to go inside. "The fire was already well into the ceiling. The ceiling started coming down on the firefighters," the chief said. "We pulled them out and did a defensive attack." The westbound lanes of North Dixie Highway in front of the restaurant were blocked to traffic because of the number of emergency vehicles on site. First responder agencies assisting included City of Monroe Fire, Exter Township Fire, Berlin Township Fire, Estral Beach Fire, Ash Township Fire and Monroe Community Ambulance. The London-Maybee-Raisinville Fire Department was on standby. The restaurant is one of over two dozen Red Lobster sites in Michigan.
