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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Asbestos fears over factory fire | Asbestos fears over factory fire |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| A massive factory fire in the West Midlands may have led to asbestos being released into the environment, fire chiefs said. | A massive factory fire in the West Midlands may have led to asbestos being released into the environment, fire chiefs said. |
| People living near the Hawthorns Trading Estate in Cornwall Road, Smethwick, were urged to shut their windows and stay inside. | |
| Up to 200 firefighters have been tackling the fire, which has spread to a second building. | |
| But the operation was being scaled back from 1800 BST. | |
| There were no casualties and no-one was thought to be trapped in the buildings. | |
| Police shut roads around Monty's Tropical Rags factory and its surrounding buildings after the fire started. | Police shut roads around Monty's Tropical Rags factory and its surrounding buildings after the fire started. |
| It was bad - the building was collapsing and all the asbestos was being thrown to the floor Wayne Shaw, eyewitness | 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. | Cornwall Road, along with Bridge Street North, Rabone Lane and Downing Street were closed because of the incident. |
| Cornwall Road was expected to be shut for the rest of the night. | |
| Trains were also not stopping at the Smethwick Rolfe Street or Handsworth Booth Street stations. | |
| Eyewitnesses reported seeing large black plumes of smoke across the area and the police helicopter circling over the factory site, which is near West Bromwich Albion's football stadium. | Eyewitnesses reported seeing large black plumes of smoke across the area and the police helicopter circling over the factory site, which is near West Bromwich Albion's football stadium. |
| Some firefighters had to leave the site when parts of the buildings collapsed. | Some firefighters had to leave the site when parts of the buildings collapsed. |
| Eyewitness Chris Myers said: "I looked up and saw four firefighters on the building. | 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." | "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. | 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." |