Rebecca Woods
BBC News

I’ve been to the scene of two fires in Birmingham this morning, where at least 11 houses have either been destroyed or severely damaged.

At Gorleston Road in Warstock, at least two homes are completely burnt out with the roofs of four more ravaged by fire.

Two miles away, on Hillmeads Road in Kings Norton, a row of five homes are blackened with soot, their roofs non-existent.

Piles of scorched belongings lay in a pile outside the houses, the smell of smoke still thick in the air.

Engineers from Cadent were on the scene to ensure the gas supplies remained safe.

Both are scenes of devastation.

Ethan Saunders
in Stoke-on-Trent

Chris Murchison said his home was affected by the fire on Sandy Road, in Stoke-on-Trent.

“The back of my garden has all caught fire. There is a park behind it, I think that’s where it’s started,” he told BBC Radio Stoke.

“All my neighbours – all their gardens have been completely burnt down.”

He said he was in nearby Kidsgrove when he found out about the fire and could see the smoke as he was returning home.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, neighbours were just distressed,” Murchison added.

The house itself was okay, he said, but his shed and garden were “completely gone”.

“You’re thankful that your house is okay, but it’s just a bit of a shock really.”

Fire crews remain at the scene of the devastating fire in Stourbridge.

An update from West Midlands Fire Service said they were "making progress" and “tactically working across several different areas of the site”.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Jane Baxter

Jane and Peter Baxter, whose house backs onto the golf course in Stourbridge, had to leave their home because of the fast‑spreading fire and the uncertainty over which direction it was moving.

She said: “It was literally grab what you needed and get out and within about four or five minutes, the police knocked on the door again and said, 'You really have got to get out now’.

“We picked up the cat, cat box, cat food and medication that was on the kitchen table,” she explained.

She said the smell of smoke lingered heavily in the air.

“The smell is horrendous at the moment," Baxter added. "It's really a choking smell in the air still unfortunately.”

Bridget Phillipson, chair of the Labour Party and minister for women and equalities, told BBC Breakfast the scenes across the West Midlands were “deeply troubling and concerning”.

“My thoughts are with all of those affected who have been in a really difficult and dangerous situation,” she added.

“I also want to pay tribute to the emergency services, especially our firefighters who worked in extremely difficult conditions to keep people safe and to protect homes, livelihoods and people from harm.”

The chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council said the fire service was "under significant pressure" with 11 major incidents declared across the UK.

Phil Garrigan told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: "It’s not just the Stourbridge incident that we’ve dealt with over the last 24 hours.

"We’ve had 11 major incidents declared across the UK – Stourbridge particularly, but Sandwell, Pershore, Stoke-on-Trent."

He added: "It’s been a particularly difficult, busy period for the fire and rescue service, where we’ve been under significant pressure."

Supplies, including large bottles of water, have been left on Norton Road in Stourbridge for emergency service workers.

Earlier, West Midlands Fire Service said it had been "taken aback" by the kindness and support of the community.

As firefighters tackled the blaze at The Dell in Druids Heath, resident Gary Staples witnessed the devastation it caused to houses as it spread rapidly.

“The flames were so high that the trees were catching fire and everything," he said. "It was terrible, it was devastating."

The 64-year-old said he had never seen anything like it before, adding: "I hope I never see it again."

Image source, Gary Staples

Image source, EPA

Al Carns, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, described the number of fires in the region as "worrying scenes", particularly referring to incidents in Druids Heath, Dawberry Fields Park and Daisy Farm Park.

"We are again reminded of the great work the emergency services do to keep us safe," he added.

He gave the following advice, which was also shared by West Midlands Fire Service:

Do not use disposable BBQs or have garden bonfires.

• No open fires in the countryside
• Caution around cigarette disposal - the smallest ember can spark a fire that requires multiple fire crews to put out
• Clear away bottles, glasses and any broken glass to prevent them magnifying the sun’s rays and starting a fire
• If a fire breaks out, call 999 immediately. Be clear about location, mentioning any nearby landmarks

"Don’t attempt to fight the fire yourself, unless it is very small and can be put out with a bucket of water – grass and crop fires can travel very quickly," he added.

"If you live near an affected area, West Midlands Ambulance Service advise keeping your doors and windows closed as a precaution."

This video from the fire in Stourbridge, sent to the BBC by someone helping in the aftermath, shows the scene of devastation in the area.

A fire rages inside a severely damaged home - missing its doors, windows and roof - with scorched earth and burnt out trees nearby.

Disruption of some West Midlands Railway (WMR) services will continue until the the end of today, the firm says.

Due to a fire affecting a property between Stourbridge Junction and Worcester Shrub Hilll, fewer trains are able to run on all lines and services could be either cancelled or delayed.

Customers can use their tickets on rail replacement buses operating between the two stations until further notice, WMR said.

Image source, WMCA

While pockets of smoke are continuing to emerge in Stourbridge, the fire service has thanked the community for their support.

"As we continue our work at the scene, we would like to thank everyone who has supported our response so far – both inside and outside the fire service," a spokesperson added.

"We have been truly taken aback by the community response, kindness and support in the Stourbridge area.

"We are doing everything we can to support people who have been affected by this fire, but we must ask that people stay away from the scene at this time. This request is likely to be in place for sometime."

They said anyone affected by the smoke should close their windows and doors.

These images from BBC Radio Stoke's Ethan Saunders show smoke rising from the scene of the fire on Sandy Road in Stoke-on-Trent.

Residents tell him they believe at least six houses have been severely damaged in the blaze.

In an update posted earlier, West Midlands Fire Service said it currently had crews "tactically working" across several sites at the fire in Stourbridge, with "progress being made at the scene".

Crews have been deployed in the following areas:

• Racecourse Lane, where firefighters are using main jets to monitor and deal with hot spots
• Norton Road, where crews are monitoring hotspots and extinguishing them as necessary
• Ounty John Lane, where firefighters are working across the area, damping down hot spots
• Quarry Park and Brunswick Gate, where "significant resources" continue to monitor both areas, with several exclusion zones in place due to several buildings being "structurally unsafe"
• Melrose Drive and Worcester Lane, where crews are damping down hot spots

Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage as crews continue to tackle fires across the West Midlands.

On Thursday, about 100 firefighters fought a huge blaze near Stourbridge Golf Course, which spread rapidly through dry grass and woodland, setting alight six homes.

West Midlands Fire Service chief officer Simon Tuhill said "the devastation" had been extensive.

He said the wildfires across the West Midlands have been "one of the most significant" incidents the region’s fire service has ever dealt with.

Elsewhere in the region, four homes were destroyed by fire in Stoke-on-Trent, a woman was seriously injured in a blaze in Castle Vale, Birmingham, and a major incident was declared because of a fire in Warwickshire.

Fires also broke out in Birmingham's Druids Heath and Kings Norton, as well as in Pershore, Worcestershire.

The major incident in Salford Priors, near Alcester was later stood down as fire crews brought the blaze under control.

Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

Fires across the West Midlands have caused "extensive" devastation, the region's chief fire officer Simon Tuhill has said - adding that "tinder-dry conditions" have allowed the fires to spread rapidly.

About 100 firefighters have been tackling a huge grass fire in Stourbridge, which has spread to several homes. Footage showed buildings engulfed in flames.

"We think at this moment the fire started not in one of the homes and spread to the fields, but from the grassland and into the homes," Tuhill said earlier.

Our reporter in the town, Ben Sidwell, said he was "stunned by the devastation" he had seen.

Meanwhile, four homes have been destroyed by a fire in Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent, and a woman was seriously injured from a fire that ripped through houses in Castle Vale, Birmingham.

Multiple fires were also reported across Birmingham's Druids Heath and Kings Norton.

A major incident over a large fire in Warwickshire has since been stood down, while a blaze in Pershore, Worcestershire, is now under control.

Across the region, three members of the fire service were taken to hospital - as well as two members of the public in Stourbridge due to smoke inhalation.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the scenes "awful" - while offering a "huge thank you" to the firefighters across the region.

We're pausing our live coverage now - but will be back on Friday morning for more live reporting from across the region.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Richard Cartwright, from Stourbridge, says his friend called him in a "panicked" state as flames began heading towards his house.

"When I got down there he was battling the flames. The woods were full of smoke.

"Every time the winds changed you couldn't breath for the smoke.

"There was one bit of the fire that was a bit too big for us to bat and then a fire shot up the trees, 30 feet up.

"We are all fine but there was loads of people from Sandy Road using hosepipes just trying to do what they could."

Richard Price
BBC News, West Midlands

I've been to the Goldenhill Community Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, where several families are being put up after being forced from their homes by the fire today.

Chris and Pauline Norcup are among those here. They were out in Liverpool for the day when they found out about the huge blaze.

"When you look at the house [opposite] we can see that the moment, [it's] really devastated, the roof’s out and everything," Chris told me.

Pauline added: "We’ve got off the bus, saw the fire engines and thought 'oh crikey'. We got down there and [the police] said 'you can’t go back home'."

Four homes were destroyed by the fire in Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent, one resident told us earlier, with others damaged.