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Fire tackled by 200 firefighters | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Up to 200 firefighters are tackling a fire at a clothing factory in the West Midlands that has spread to a second building. | |
Fire chiefs said asbestos may have been released into the environment and urged people living near the Smethwick factory to shut windows and doors. | |
There have been no casualties and no-one was thought to be trapped in the buildings. | |
Roads were shut around Monty's Tropical Rags factory and surrounding buildings. | |
It was bad - the building was collapsing and all the asbestos was being thrown to the floor Wayne Shaw, eyewitness | |
Cornwall Road, along with Bridge Street North, Rabone Lane and Downing Street were closed because of the incident. | |
Eyewitnesses reported seeing large black plumes of smoke across the area and the police helicopter circling over the factory site on Hawthorns Industrial Estate. | |
The fire service told people living and working within a half-mile radius of the site, which is near West Bromwich Albion's football stadium, to keep their windows shut and stay inside. | |
Some firefighters had to leave the site when parts of the buildings collapsed. | |
'Building collapsing' | |
Eyewitness Chris Myers said: "I looked up and saw four firefighters on the building. | |
"Two of them managed to get down the ladders on time and two others had to run back on to the other part of the building because it was collapsing." | |
Police said it was not yet known what caused the fire. | |
Wayne Shaw, who works near the industrial estate, said he saw the fire spread to two other buildings. | Wayne Shaw, who works near the industrial estate, said he saw the fire spread to two other buildings. |
He said: "It was bad - the building was collapsing and all the asbestos was being thrown to the floor." | He said: "It was bad - the building was collapsing and all the asbestos was being thrown to the floor." |