Stourbridge fire residents return to devastated streets after three days behind a cordon, with 19 properties across five roads fully destroyed and a further 18 severely damaged in one of the worst wildfire events England has seen this year.
West Midlands Fire Service allowed some residents back on Saturday, directing those from Brunswick Gate, Landsgate, Ounty John Lane, Quarry Park Road and Racecourse Lane to gather and speak to fire chiefs individually. Each family was then told whether it was safe to go home, whether significant repairs were needed, or whether their property had been lost entirely.
Aerial images show a stark and uneven picture: some houses standing intact while those immediately beside them have been burnt to the ground.
Stourbridge fire residents return to homes with no utilities
Councillor Ed Lawrence, responsible for emergency planning at Dudley Council, described the conditions awaiting those who made it back. ‘No electricity in the houses, gas or water,’ he said. ‘The fridge was full of rotting food. And it’s little things like that, so we’ve sent a team out today with a refuse truck so that residents can clear out that food, start to rebuild.’
A fundraiser created by Dudley Council to help residents ‘rebuild their lives’ has surpassed £25,000. A separate fundraiser by the Heart of England Community Foundation, aimed at families affected by fires across the West Midlands, has reached £50,000.
Among those returning was the Abdullah family, who had fled while preparing to head out to celebrate 18-year-old Dominic’s A-level results. Dominic told how he watched neighbouring properties burn. ‘Seeing the houses go down, seeing neighbours we know, their rooftops just burning, the whole street covered in smoke,’ he said. His mother said the family smelt smoke, saw their neighbours leaving, and ran.
Wildfires put fire services under ‘incredible pressure’
The Stourbridge blaze was one of multiple major incidents declared across the UK on Thursday, the hottest day of the year so far. BBC News reported that major incidents were declared in Stourbridge, Sandwell, Pershore and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands, as well as in Hampshire and South Wales, as fire services coordinated responses across several regions simultaneously.
Phil Garrigan from the National Fire Chiefs Council said on Saturday that 11 major fires in the past 48 hours and 43 new wildfires since Friday had left services under ‘incredible pressure’.
Investigators are still working to establish what caused the Stourbridge fire. The scale of the challenge was set out in BBC News live coverage, which quoted officials saying the fire covered over 500 acres, meaning it would take considerable time to determine the cause.
In Stoke-on-Trent, four homes were completely destroyed by a fire that started in a park in Sandyford, with 13 other properties suffering structural, roof and window damage. Police have arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of arson in connection with that fire. Marie Leese described how the blaze ripped through properties in Maureen Avenue, destroying her garden and a summer house her husband had built before his death three years ago.
Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles urged residents needing support to come forward. ‘I’m on hand to support however I can, the Town Hall remains open for food, clothes, pet supplies, phone chargers, general inquiries,’ she said. ‘Counselling is available and being offered by several local professionals free of charge for adults and children.’
The Stourbridge and District branch of the RSPCA has shared information about several cats reported missing from the area since the fire broke out.
Investigators say the 500-acre spread of the Stourbridge fire means establishing its cause will take time, with no conclusion expected imminently.
