Firefighters rescued after platform stuck in mid-air during house blaze
Firefighters are used to responding to emergencies - but it was them who had to be rescued when a hydraulic platform got stuck leaving them suspended in the air.
Crews were putting out a fire at an empty house in Willenhall when the platform stopped working, leaving them stranded for more than two hours.
The fire broke out in an extension at the back of the house, which is not being lived in, at around 2.30pm on Thursday, before spreading to the roof.
The blaze caused extensive damage to the roof but was extinguished within minutes.
Attention then turned to getting the firefighters down from the platform.
The team from Walsall Fire Station said a fault caused the platform to stop working and firefighters were forced to contact the manufacturer in order to fix it.
The blaze started at the house on a row of four terraced properties, three of which are empty.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by fire chiefs.
The flames spread to the polycarbonate roof, which quickly took hold, causing extensive damage to the roof.
Crews were called after smoke was seen billowing from the house on Barnett Road, Portobello.
Firefighters acted quickly to stop the flames from the roof engulfing the rest of the property.
