Kingswinford fire: Moment industrial estate is engulfed by flames as firefighters scramble
A total of 60 firefighters have been battling a raging fire at a trading estate in the West Midlands.
Kingswinford: Building ablaze at Pensnett Trading Estate
A huge fire has been raging at a trading estate in the West Midlands with 60 firefighters battling the flames.
People living near Pensnett Trading Estate in First Avenue, Kingswinford, were told to keep their windows and doors shut after the fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday (November 30). Twelves fire engines, a drone and two hydraulic platforms were sent to the scene.
Video footage shared on social media shows a building filled with flames and thick smoke billowing from its windows and door. There were no casualties, according to the local fire service.
West Midlands Fire Service tweeted the warning to locals at 5.23am on Thursday (November 30), writing: "Twelve fire engines and around 60 firefighters have responded to a fire on Pensnett Trading Estate on First Avenue, Kingswinford.
"People in the local area are asked to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution."
The fire service issued an update two hours later which said firefighters were still tackling the fire at the two-storey industrial unit. WMFS said the unit has been "entirely affected" by the fire and part of the building has collapsed.
In a statement issued after 9am, West Midlands Fire Service said crews had brought the flames under control though the fire was still not out. Just before midday, the fire was tamed with just small pockets of fire and the estate had reopened, according to West Midlands Fire Service. It also confirmed people living near the scene could open windows and doors.
A number of bus routes were impacted by the fire, including the 2/A, 6, 7, 9, 11/A, 14, 19, 24, 126 and X10. Transport for West Midlands warned passengers to expect delays and urged them to consider alternative routes. Local media reported all roads in the immediate area were closed as the emergency services respond to the major incident.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We were called by fire colleagues to a fire at a factory on Pensnett Trading Estate in Kingswinford at 4.20am and sent a paramedic officer to the scene. Following a thorough search, no patients were found and we were stood down."
People on social media expressed their shock at the size of the fire. A woman wrote on Facebook that she heard what she thought were fireworks at 4.30am. She told fellow users of the platform she then looked out of her window to see a "huge" fire.
������Pensnett Trading Estate I Kingswinford
— Transport for West Midlands (@TransportForWM) November 30, 2023
������ Fire I Emergency services on scene
ℹ️ Traffic and bus services are currently impacted.
������ @nxwestmidlands buses impacted : 2/A, 6, 7, 9, 11/A, 14, 19, 24, 126 and X10
⌚Expect delays and consider alternative routes. pic.twitter.com/biGfYWhqpl
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Another Facebook user said the scene had been completely locked down by police. A third wrote the trading estate was closed by police at 5.15am, with no entrance on foot or by car. They added: "Loads of fire engines and police on site."
Garage, Martin and Griffiths Kingswinford Ltd, warned their customers on social media: "The Pensnett Trading Estate has been shut by Police and Fire Services with no one allowed in as they deal with a big factory fire opposite our building."
Kingswinford is a town in the metropolitan borough of Dudley, located five miles from central Dudley.
West Midlands Police has been approached for comment.