Latest news with #WestMidlandsFireService
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews tackle 'severe' fire in derelict pub
Fire crews are tackling a "severe" blaze in a derelict pub. West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) was called to the former Crown Inn on Simms Lane in Netherton, Dudley, at 00:37 BST on Friday. The service said at the height of the fire - to the ground floor of the venue which closed in 2018 - five appliances were in attendance. One crew remained as of 08:00 BST. WMFS added there were no known casualties. The road is closed in both directions. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. West Midlands Fire Service
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Firefighters tackle Brierley Hill industrial blaze
Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at a commercial premises in the Black Midlands Fire Service said it was called to an incident at Canalside Industrial Estate, Wedgbury Way, Brierley Hill, at about 14:37 BST on 18:30, it said the fire had been extinguished, with crews able to prevent it from spreading to other fire service said the "significant fire" had been in a two-storey brick-built commercial premises which had been "severely affected" by the blaze. More than 30 firefighters attended the scene at the peak of the blaze, with water drawn from the nearby Stourbridge Canal help put it casualties were reported, according to the fire service. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Huge Digbeth factory fire started accidentally
A fire which destroyed 90% of a factory near the centre of Birmingham started accidentally, the fire service 50 firefighters and nine fire engines were called to the blaze in a factory unit on Rea Street, Digbeth, on crews were still at the scene until late on Wednesday evening, when it was confirmed the fire was completely out, a West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said."A physical search took place from accessible safe areas on all three floors," they said. "There was no sign of any smoke or hotspots on thermal imaging equipment." The spokesperson added that they had made a full handover to the owner of the were no injuries from the fire and no other buildings were damaged. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Factory unit almost destroyed as fire takes hold
About 90% of a factory unit near a city centre has been destroyed in a fire. West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said the blaze broke out in a three-storey building on Rea Street in Digbeth, Birmingham, shortly before 09:00 BST on Tuesday. Roads were closed at the site, near to where the city's Pride celebrations are due to be held at the weekend, and police were called in to help direct traffic. A WMFS spokesperson said the fire was mostly out by the middle of the afternoon but crews stayed on the scene into the evening to tackle several remaining hotspots. No other buildings were damaged. The spokesperson described the fire at its peak as "severe" and said it was causing a "large amount of smoke", with people living nearby urged to keep their windows and doors closed. At one point, there were nine fire engines and 50 firefighters on the scene. WMFS area commander Steve Ball said they had been working in "challenging conditions". "I want to thank our firefighters for their assertive actions which meant the fire was contained to the building of origin," he added. Chris Shepherd, from Stafford, was at the site at about 09:00 BST and saw the first fire engine arrive. "When I first saw it, there was a plume of black smoke and it spread towards the back of the building," he said. "You could see the roof was on fire and the smoke and flames were quite high." He also said he found it interesting watching the firefighters work and how they "came together" to tackle the blaze. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Firefighters tackle blaze in derelict shop Recycling centre blaze sees smoke rise over city West Midlands Fire Service
Glasgow Times
20-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Fire chief took own life amid probe into claims he lied on his CV, inquest hears
Wayne Brown, 54, chief fire officer at West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), was found at his flat in Birmingham by police on the morning of January 24 last year after colleagues alerted them that he had failed to turn up for work, Birmingham Coroners' Court was told. Mr Brown, the UK's first black fire chief, had been under pressure because of a 'barrage' of harassment and complaints about his character in the form of emails, Freedom of Information requests and letters to his workplace as well as social media posts making allegations about him, and had left a note for police saying the last 18 months of his life had been 'absolutely awful' and 'I can't do this anymore'. Mr Brown's partner, Nicola White, told the inquest on Monday that national media attention in relation to claims he had lied on his CV and his LinkedIn page about having an MBA postgraduate business qualification – which was a requirement for chief fire officers – was the 'final straw'. The court was told that on January 16 last year, days before he took his own life, colleagues at the fire service had been copied into an email saying that Mr Brown did not have the MBA qualification from London South Bank University he claimed to, which sparked an internal investigation. Satinder Sahota, monitoring officer for WMFS, said after questioning him about the claims, Mr Brown admitted he had started an MBA but had not finished it and apologised for putting it on his CV. Ms White said her partner was clearly 'low' about the ongoing investigation, but felt the 'final straw' for him was when a national news outlet ran a story about him the night before he took his own life. She said: 'He just couldn't take it anymore. I said 'Wayne, you need to speak to someone', but he didn't like to show his weaknesses. 'He was the first person to support others and tell them to seek help, but he felt he needed to be strong for everyone else. 'On the Tuesday… I did think to ask him, 'you're not going to do anything silly are you?' but I put that thought immediately out of my head because I thought he would never do that.' Ms White said her partner did say he felt supported by the fire service, although Mr Sahota said Mr Brown was a 'private and stoic' man who did not seek the support from occupational health colleagues that he was urged to take during their meetings. On one occasion days before he died, the fire chief, who took up the role permanently in April 2023, did tell Mr Sahota that he was feeling under pressure, was exhausted, struggling to sleep and had 'racing thoughts'. Mr Sahota told the inquest: 'My view at the time was that he was saying he was okay. I urged him to reach out to occupational health. 'I had to be careful with Wayne… I didn't want to annoy him, it was quite clear he was private and he was the most senior person in the organisation and I didn't want to be disrespectful of that because it would affect my relationship with him going forward.' Deputy chief fire officer Joanne Bowcock said in a statement read out at the inquest that she recognised Mr Brown was under pressure due to the alleged harassment and the media interest, but that she never considered he would take his own life. She said he appeared to be coping well but when speaking to him on January 18 after the email about the MBA had been received, told her he had 'the worst two weeks of his life' and feared he would be suspended. Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Kiteley, who was the West Midlands Police officer investigating the alleged harassment, said a man was charged with harassing the fire chief in July 2023 and while there had been some early court appearances, Mr Brown had expressed 'frustration' to DCI Kiteley that a court date had been pushed back. He said: 'I had no idea he would go on to take his own life but I could tell the constant barrage of contact was getting to him. 'I appreciated it was difficult for him to go on with his day job because of other pressures.' The charges against the man accused of harassment were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service after Mr Brown's death. Senior coroner Louise Hunt, who presided over the inquest, said Mr Brown had died as a result of suicide and indicated she would be writing a Prevention of Future Deaths report to WMFS to raise concerns. She said the fire service did not undertake any investigation following Mr Brown's death so lessons could be learned and was concerned that there was no policy requiring them to do so. Mrs Hunt was also concerned that there appeared to be no mechanism for recording concerns raised about the welfare of staff during a fact-finding or formal investigation, and that there was no provision in the service's health and wellbeing or mental health policy for employees as senior as Mr Brown was. In a tribute, Mr Brown's son Kai said he was 'loved and respected', had many friends and was their 'shining star'. He said: 'We will be forever proud of him and he leaves a void in our lives which will never be filled.'
