Highrise evacuation, Kings Norton
Kings Norton highrise partially evacuated by fire crews after sewage-like smell reported by residents
Hillmeads Road, Birmingham, UK
Shortly before 7.10pm on Tuesday 21 May, we responded to Hillmeads Road, Kings Norton, after reports of a chemical-like smell in a high-rise building. Four fire engines from Kings Norton, Bournbrook, Highgate and Billesley initially attended, the first arriving within four minutes of being mobilised. Air monitoring checks were carried out after a sewage-like smell was identified. As a precaution, firefighters evacuated the building from the seventh to the tenth floor allowing for further assessments. Further air monitoring was undertaken by our experts and Cadent Gas, confirming no significant readings on any floor or flat. We worked with Birmingham City Council and Severn Trent Water to access and check drains and soil stack pipes. Again, nothing of significance was detected. Once investigations had been concluded, a multi-agency briefing involving West Midlands Ambulance Service, Severn Trent Water, Birmingham City Council, Cadent Gas, and West Midlands Police took place. Residents were then allowed to return to their homes and were advised to open their windows to ventilate the building. We left the scene at 12.01am.
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