Massive Fire Breaks Out at Parcel Centre in Staffordshire: Businesses Evacuated

Businesses near a large fire at a parcel centre in Staffordshire have been urged to evacuate as dozens of firefighters tackle the blaze. Ten fire engines were sent to the blaze at Super Smart Service on Cley Road, near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock, at 06:15 GMT, the fire service said.

The blaze sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky which was visible for more than 20 miles around including in the centre of Birmingham, according to people posting on social media.

Residents were urged to close their windows and doors and nearby businesses were asked to evacuate. Sainsbury’s on the nearby Orbital Retail Centre said its store remained open. The centre is home to other retailers including Marks & Spencer and Boots.

Electrical Test Midlands on Blakeney Way said it was closed on Thursday for safety reasons due to the fire. No-one was in the parcel distribution warehouse when the fire started, a spokesperson for the fire service confirmed.

Members of the public were told to avoid the area if possible. By about 10:30 BST on Thursday, the fire service said its crews were continuing to fight the fire but the size of the smoke plume had reduced in size.

“We’ve currently got lots of firefighters down there alongside other colleagues from West Midlands Fire Service and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service to help bring the fire under control,” the spokesperson added.

The UK Health Security Agency urged people affected by the fire to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed and if driving nearby, turn off air conditioning and keep air vents closed. One resident, Oscar, described seeing ‘too much black smoke’ and police closing the road when he arrived at his office nearby at 08:00 BST.

Another resident told BBC Radio WM she knew about the blaze at 06:30 BST. “It’s a bit chaotic,” she said. “There are huge plumes of very dark grey smoke billowing.”

“All I know is it was evacuated and there’s no one inside, no one’s been hurt. That’s the only thing we care about at the moment.” Some road closures were in place, a spokesperson for the fire service said. One nearby resident posted on social media and said they had heard ‘loads of explosions’ from the blaze as well as the noise of the fire engines.

Another user on X wrote that he had heard a ‘series of explosions’ before the fire. According to its website, Super Smart Service was established in the West Midlands in 2015 and opened its Cannock warehouse in 2019, creating more than 300 jobs.

Buses were diverted due to the incident with operator Chaserider posting on social media: “Due to the incident at the Orbital Retail Park we are having to divert service 3 via Lichfield Road, Cannock Road, Hednesford Road and Walsall Road. We are also unable to serve Jerome Road, meaning we will using Bettys Lanes and Red Lion Lane.”

The fire was not affecting railway services and trains were still running through the area, West Midlands Railway said. West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called by the fire service at 06:36 BST but stood down its staff when they were told they were no longer needed.