Kidderminster factory fire: Residents return but schools stay shut

Residents have been returning to homes evacuated during a factory fire described as being "like something you see in the movies".

About 100 firefighters were sent to Betts Metals in Kidderminster after the blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon.

Crews dealt with gas canisters and molten metals and 10 appliances were at the Park Street scene overnight.

Some schools and businesses have been unable to open due to smoke and road closures.

Guy Palmer, assistant chief fire officer at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said materials at the factory led to homes' evacuation and "a significant amount of residents" were moved.

An emergency rest centre was opened for those not able to secure alternative accommodation, said Wyre Forest District Council.

Residents - who reported hearing explosions on Wednesday - were being "phased back into the local area," according to the fire service.

It reported small pockets of flames on Thursday, but has stated there were no concerns about airborne pollution in the immediate area.

Cordons were still in place during the afternoon, when the fire service was damping down.

Fourteen schools in the town were shut due to a lack of ventilation.

On Thursday morning Canal & River Trust West Midlands said the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal in Kidderminster between Lock 6 and Lock 5 was closed whilst it dealt "with a pollution incident".

It tweeted a blaze had "resulted in oil and sludge entering the canal" and the organisation was working with the Environment Agency to remove this and stop it spreading.

Police said flames spread on Wednesday to a neighbouring business unit.

Sam Dancyger, 23, works at nearby Sheet Metal Service, where his father is an owner. He said he was anxious to discover the extent of any damage to the premises following concerns on Wednesday for colleagues' safety.

"It was a bit surreal - I didn't grasp what was actually happening," he said.

"I heard my dad start shouting me to come out the front and the police were there, and I thought 'yeah, God'.

He added: "I just wanted to find all the chaps I work with. But Dad [and partners], I couldn't find them anywhere - we were just scattered in this car park in front trying to find everyone, it was really scary."

He told BBC Hereford and Worcester he did not know how much of the business was affected but was "pretty sure it has been hit in some aspect".

He said: "My Dad [and a partner have] worked there for 35 years - I want to see what's left of their life, you know?"

A resident who saw the flames told BBC Hereford and Worcester: "It's like something you see in the movies, I've never witnessed anything like that."

Heather Jones, who lives a five-minute walk from the scene, said when the blaze broke out, the smoke was "incredibly dark" and there were "tremendous explosions".

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Jon Pryce tweeted that crews had to deal with "a large amount of burning molten metal" overnight.

He confirmed nobody had been seriously hurt and thanked neighbouring fire crews for their help.

Efforts were being made to deal with pollution from operations entering the water course, he said.

The Environment Agency stated it was "taking measures to minimise the pollution impacts" of water used to fight the fire.

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