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Road closed during morning rush hour after building fire

A road was closed during the morning rush hour following a fire at a three-storey building in Walsall.

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Flames took hold on the first floor of the property on Corporation Street in Caldmore, which was closed off by police for safety precautions.

The scene in Walsall. Credit: West Midlands Fire Service

Firefighters forced entry into the site in order to tackle the flames. West Midlands Fire Service said the cause was due to an electrical fault.

A West Midlands Fire Service spokesman said: "There was a severe fire in a first floor flat of a three-storey commercial and domestic building.

"We got forced entry to a ground floor shop by removing ground floor shutters to gain entrance to it.

"All persons were accounted for. The cause of the fire was electrical. The road was closed as a result."

No-one was trapped or injured. A total of forty firefighters attended on eight fire engines.

The alarm was raised at 5.09am when the temperature was at -4C.

The road closure caused delays for motorists wanting to pass through the routes.

Corporation Street was closed from Caldmore Green to Rutter Street, which affected bus routes.

West Midlands Fire Service tweeted: "Travel disruption Caldmore area due to fire in Corporation Street. Buses held up. Avoid the area."

Pictures from the scene showed firefighters stationed outside the property while it was still dark.

Emergency crews isolated the gas and police were also in attendance. The road was back open by 10am.

The spokesman added: "We sent a total of eight crews. There were six pumps and we sent additional terms. There was forty-firefighters there in total, but not all were fighting the fire."