Office and warehouse fire in Walsgrave, Coventry
People nearby urged to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution
Olivier Way, Coventry, UK
At 5.43pm on Sunday (5 March), Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control (SWMFC) started to receive multiple 999 calls reporting a significant fire in the Walsgrave area of Coventry.
The first of our crews arrived in Olivier Way five minutes after being mobilised.
They were met with a severe fire in a two-storey office and warehouse building.
Imagery sent to SWMFC by members of the public meant they were quickly able to match our response to the size and nature of the fire.
As of 7.55pm, several fire engines and other vehicles including a hydraulic aerial platform, crewed by more than 70 firefighters, were at the scene.
The road was closed for safety during our firefighting operations.
People living or working nearby were being asked to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution.
Updates for this incident
This incident is on the Cross Point business park, close to the M6 and M69 motorways. Motorists are asked to avoid the immediate vicinity. We are working with West Midlands Police to ensure that people leaving a nearby cinema by car can do safely when they need to. The cinema has not been evacuated.
One of our drones is relaying imagery to officers and crews on the ground in #Coventry, to support operational decision-making. Details on our website: https://t.co/5LBdDOVjoz pic.twitter.com/1NxjMJggPN — West Midlands Fire Service (@WestMidsFire) March 5, 2023
We are planning to scale down our resources at the scene by midnight, to five fire engines and around 25 firefighters. These crews are expected to remain throughout the night, damping down remaining hotspots. People nearby no longer need to keep doors and windows closed. We are working with local companies, including a supermarket, to facilitate access to their premises and enable them to keep operating. A huge fire has ripped through a two-storey office building and warehouse in Coventry. — BBC News Midlands (@bbcmtd) March 5, 2023
More than 70 firefighters went to the scene in Olivier Way at 17:43 GMT after a flurry of 999 calls about a "significant" blaze in the Walsgrave area.
Footage: Maija Taurina. pic.twitter.com/epxfvrKjkv
One fire engine and crew remain at the scene, checking for any remaining hotpots. Initial work by our fire investigators suggests that the fire was most likely started deliberately.