Huge smoke plume seen as far away as Birmingham after warehouse in Staffordshire catches fire

9 May 2024, 10:45 | Updated: 9 May 2024, 16:00

A number of businesses - including a shopping centre - have been evacuated and residents are being told to keep windows and doors closed after a large fire broke out on an industrial estate in a town in Staffordshire.

On Thursday morning, huge plumes of black smoke were seen from as far as Birmingham city centre as fire crews tackled the blaze at a parcel centre near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock, north of Wolverhampton.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire started at Super Smart Services - a distribution warehouse "which contains a variety of different materials for delivery".

A spokesperson said firefighters were called out at 6.15am and 10 fire engines are now in attendance. They added they expect to be at the scene for the next 48 hours.

No-one was in the building at the time, the fire service said, adding no injuries have been reported.

Fire burns in Staffordshire

Other businesses on the estate are being ordered to evacuate and a number of agencies are working together to tackle the blaze.

Videos and pictures of the fire posted to social media show billowing black smoke filling the sky and moving across the area. Sam Winter, a 32-year-old scaffolder, captured footage of the fire.

Read more: Woman stabbed to death in broad daylight on busy north London street, as police launch murder investigation

He told the PA news agency: "I drove out of Cannock Chase to a plume of smoke, so I drove all the way following it to get a video as my mum works across the road from there."

Fire breaks out in Cannock in Staffordshire

'Huge plume of smoke'

Rob Humphries, who lives in Abbots Bromley, noticed smoke while out walking his dog.

The 36-year-old, who took a picture of what he saw, told PA: "I was out on the morning dog walk and spotted a huge plume of smoke in the distance.

"It appeared to be coming from the other side of Cannock Chase, in the direction of Cannock."

Read more: Mystery as family of Thai murder victim say her iPad played 'five hours of violent rap' before and after disappearance

On Wednesday, the fire service shared: "We are at the scene of a large warehouse fire on Cley Road in Cannock.

"We’re advising the public to avoid the area. If you live nearby and feel you are affected, we recommend closing your windows and doors as a precaution.

"We will share updates as soon as we’re able to."

They also tweeted: "Fighters are asking all residents to close windows and doors due to smoke and all local businesses to evacuate."

So far it is not clear how the fire started.