More than 100 firefighters have spent the night tackling a major incident on Lower Horseley Fields in Wolverhampton.

Local road closures remain in place, and will do for some time, as access is required in and out of the incident area. Lower Walsall Street, Lower Horseley Fields, and Colliery Road are all currently closed.

Local trains have also been affected, with journeys between Wolverhampton and Birmingham being delayed or cancelled. It’s recommend you check before you travel.

Just after 9pm last night, four fire engines responded to the fire, which eventually involved multiple factory units measuring a total of approximately 200m x 200m. This response was quickly increased, and within an hour there were more than 20 appliances and 100 firefighters tackling the blaze.

At around 10pm bosses declared a major incident, due to the scale of the incident and its proximity to the nearby railway line and houses. A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said:

“Crews worked assertively and tirelessly throughout the night, tackling the fire from multiple angles. Alongside fighting the fire itself, one of the main priorities during the night was creating a fire break, to prevent the fire from spreading any further.

“We worked closely with partner agencies, such as Police, Ambulance and other local authorities, with several multi-agency briefings taking place. We worked with colleagues at Network Rail to halt all nearby trains and isolate the overhead power supply to the train tracks, whilst Police colleagues managed local road closures to ensure a safe route in and out for our crews.

“We also put a plan in place to evacuate local residents that were within the 200m risk area, with help from Wolverhampton Council.

”Relief plans are currently being created as we look to draw this incident to a safe conclusion. Buildings involved in the fire will be thoroughly searched once it is safe for our crews to do so.”

The fire investigation team will soon begin work to establish a cause.

Several ambulance resources, including two senior paramedic officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team and four paramedic officers were sent to the scene. A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman added:

“There were no patients requiring treatment, but ambulance staff remained on scene to support colleagues from the fire service, before being stood down at 6.30am today.

“If you are within a close distance of the area please ensure you keep all windows and doors closed and stay indoors where you can.”