Willenhall fire: ‘Mini explosions’ as 50 firefighters tackling huge blaze at food factory

Dozens of firefighters have spent nearly 20 hours battling a fire engulfing a food factory in Willenhall, with nearby residents waking to sounds of “mini-explosions”.

First responders arrived less than four minutes after being called to the blaze just after midnight, with more than 50 firefighters rallying to the industrial unit on Stringes Lane.

The fire burned through the roof of the wholesale unit, impacting nearly two-thirds of the 3,000-metre square building, West Midlands Fire Service said.

All staff working on the site were evacuated safely prior to the fire service’s arrival and there have been no injuries reported among employees.

But fire crews waged an intense battle against the flames to protect nearby properties and prevent the inferno from spreading to a nearby oil tanker and vehicle fuel tank.

Firefighters were continuing efforts to extinguish small pockets of fire at 5pm on Tuesday.

One resident living close to the factory described being woken up by the noise of “mini-explosions”, as he shared images of the huge fire shortly before 2am, urging others to avoid the area.

Police closed nine roads as firefighters used some 13 jets as they fought through the night to stifle the flames.

In an update at 7.45am on Thursday, the fire service hailed “good progress” in tackling the fire, and said it expected the large overnight response to be scaled down to six fire crews soon.

A drone operator was being deployed to provide firefighters with an aerial view of the blaze, the service said, later publishing footage showing the smoking skeleton of the industrial unit left in the aftermath of the fire.

In a further update just prior to 1pm, the fire service announced it was scaling back its response to three fire engines, with crews continuing to battle “small pockets of fire and hotspots”.

Environment Agency officials, utility companies and Walsall Council had all been drafted in to help with the response, and all roads save for one had been reopened to the public, according to the service.

“However, because we still need to pump water to the scene from a canal, our hoses and protective ramps remain in place,” the fire service said, warning that this was likely to be the case until at least early evening.

“We are very grateful to local businesses and residents for their patience and understanding throughout this firefighting operation,” it added.