'Major toxic incident' declared as fire rips through factory, with thick smoke seen from miles away

Fire crews rushed to the scene in Wolverhampton on Wednesday morning following reports from residents of a large blaze accompanied by loud explosions.

Photos from the scene show plumes of thick black smoke and large flames engulfing buildings at the end of a residential road.

West Midlands Fire Service has urged local residents to avoid the area and keep doors and windows closed because of the smoke.

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Former Labour councillor Paul Birch told Birmingham Live the incident is a “major toxic incident”.

West Midlands Fire Service was called to a fire on Sunbeam Street shortly after 7.30am on Wednesday, with the first crew arriving within three minutes of being mobilised.

Eight fire engines were initially dispatched, but the response was later doubled as firefighters battled to contain the rapidly spreading blaze.

In a statement posted on Wednesday, the service said: "We currently have eight fire engines, a 4×4 brigade response vehicle and a hydraulic aerial platform in attendance.

“Firefighters from Bilston, Fallings Park, Tipton, Willenhall, Haden Cross, Wednesbury, Dudley and Walsall are at the scene."

Residents have been urged to avoid the area while crews continue to work, and those who live or work nearby have been advised to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke.

Firefighters remain at the scene, with the fire having spread to neighbouring buildings. A nearby school has been forced to close and send pupils home as a precaution.

Residents have taken to social media to describe the scale of the incident, with one person posting on X that “the sky is full of dark smoke”, while another dubbed it “the great fire of Wolverhampton.”