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Devastation and uncertainty one month after fire

Rachael Lewisin Wolverhampton
News imageBBC A man looking into the camera with a black north face coat on. In the background is the remains of a fire. The roof of the building behind him is falling in and there is clear ash and debris behind him as well. BBC
Rishi Garg's plastic recycling company has been completely destroyed.

For those with businesses on Sunbeam Street in Wolverhampton, it's been a month of uncertainty and devastation.

It's after a huge fire ripped through industrial units on January 14, leaving behind an unrecognisable space.

At its height, more than 100 firefighters were dealing with the blaze, which caused significant disruption and took many hours to contain.

Rishi Garg said his plastic recycling company has been completely destroyed: "Right now I am in a nowhere situation, I had 9 employees who I have laid off."

News imageWest Midlands Fire Service A photo of an industrial site on fire with a fire engine shooting water onto the fire. There is visible orange flames and thick black and grey smoke coming out of the top of the building. West Midlands Fire Service
At its height, more than 100 firefighters were dealing with the blaze

Mr Garg, who moved to the UK in 2007, said the fire has left him unsure if he can afford the mortgage on his house.

The businessman built up the company with his business partner, and started his career working in factories across the Black Country.

On the morning of the fire, Mr Garg received a call while starting his morning routine of dropping his two children off at school.

"By the time we reached here, they [West Midlands Fire Service] had already restricted the site, so I just stood from the outside watching it burn my units. It was impossible for them to send me in to get the things out"

News imageRishi Garg / BBC On the left side of the screen there is a machine which is black, white, orange and blue. One the left side there is the same machine after a fire has ripped through it. All the colours are gone and now it is just black ash and debris. Rishi Garg / BBC
The businessman built up the company over 19 years, and started by working in factories across the Black Country.

Inside, was all of Mr Garg's machinery, which he said cost more than half a million pounds.

Other things lost in the fire included a van and office equipment including books and diaries with important business information inside.

"I have a few materials left in the yard, which I am trying to sell and run my day to day expenses, so that's what I'm doing right now." Mr Gard added.

In a statement West Midlands Fire Service said: "Due to the unstable structure of the building, proper access to complete investigations has not been possible and therefore the cause of the fire remains undetermined."

Mr Garg said he is now waiting for more information from the Fire Service before he can take any next steps.

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