Wolverhampton fire: Explosions heard as roads and rail lines shut

Explosions were heard and smoke could be seen from 15 miles away as fire broke out in Wolverhampton.

One resident reported the whole sky turning red and another said they had seen a fireball going into the air.

Evacuation centres were set up, roads were closed and some rail passengers were stuck on trains for two hours.

More than 100 firefighters were called to deal with the fire, which involved a number of derelict factories, at 21:00 GMT on Monday.

The fire continued on Tuesday, causing further disruption in the area, with site workers unable to access the area and pick up their goods.

National Rail said train users can expect "major disruption through Wolverhampton" until the end of the day, with services being cancelled, delayed or diverted.

Trains in the city were affected because the scene of the blaze is close to the main railway line and Wolverhampton railway station.

CrossCountry, Avanti and West Midlands Railway are among operators affected.

Avanti West Coast apologised to passengers who reported being stuck on their trains for up to two hours on Monday and said services resumed, via an alternative route, by 01:00.

Group commander Mark Price from West Midlands Fire Service said the fire had been a "large scale and complex incident" which covered an area of roughly 200m by 200m (656ft by 656ft).

He said there was concern about nearby homes and the railway track and the first priority had been to prevent it from spreading further.

There were no reports of anybody hurt, with all the business units successfully evacuated, while a search of the buildings would take place once they were safe.

Five fire engines were still at the scene on Tuesday with the service saying it was looking to "draw the incident to a safe conclusion".

On Monday, residents in the area were told to shut windows and doors and the city council arranged for people living nearby to be evacuated to two leisure centres, but later said they were not used.

One woman, who lives in the Bradmore area of the city, about three miles (5km) from the fire, told BBC WM: "The sky is red."

A man who lives in Barr Beacon, 11 miles (18km) away, called the radio station to report seeing "a big fireball go up" and "large flames".

Several roads in Horseley Fields were shut and remained closed to traffic on Tuesday, affecting Lower Walsall Street, Lower Horseley Fields, and Colliery Road.

Motorists have been advised to avoid the area and and allow extra time for journeys.

Lorry drivers were unable to get to vehicles behind the police cordon on Tuesday and said they were frustrated at not being able to work.

One said he had vehicles which needed to be in London and at a nearby building site.

Meanwhile, West Midlands Metro said it would try to make more trams available and accept tickets from people who were due to travel by train.

It warned this could mean its vehicles were more crowded than usual.

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