Fire service says 70% of derelict college damaged

A fire station commander has said 70% of a derelict college where a blaze broke out on Tuesday evening has been affected by the fire.

Plumes of thick black smoke could be seen from miles away after the fire started at the former Henley College building on Henley Road, with fire services receiving calls at about 19:15 BST.

Henley Fire Station manager Ryan Donaldson said 30% of the property had been saved from the "significant" fire.

West Midlands Fire Service said on Wednesday morning the blaze was ongoing but less "severe" than on Tuesday night.

At the incident's peak, 75 firefighters were in attendance, but 45 remained at the scene on Wednesday morning.

Mr Donaldson said he did not believe anyone was in the building when the fire broke out and no injuries were sustained during the incident.

He told the BBC the fire service's priority had been to save part of the building and to protect local residents.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene at 19:22 BST and sent one ambulance, two paramedic officers and the trust's Hazardous Area Response Team.

"Following a thorough search by fire colleagues, there were no patients and we were stood down," the spokesperson added.

One member of the public told the BBC the building had also been on fire a few weeks ago.

The building has not been used as a college for three years but has since been a filming location for the BBC drama series Phoenix Rise and also used by West Midlands Fire Service for training purposes.

A spokesperson for the service said: "Progress has been made overnight as crews have surrounded the fire and are damping down the fire and tackling hotspots. We expect to be on site at the incident throughout the day and into the evening."

An electric substation was temporarily shut down overnight to ensure the safety of the site and the substation, but power has since been restored to homes.

Henley Road remains closed to traffic between Parcel Road and Deedmore Road, but pedestrian access has been reopened.

The fire service added: "We continue to urge members of the public to keep their doors and windows closed due to the smoke from the fire and to stay away from the area to allow our firefighters and other agencies to continue their work.

"Thank you to nearby residents for their patience and understanding during this incident."

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