Twenty-five firefighters were tasked with extinguishing a 20ft high blaze at a cafe in Birmingham this morning.
The fire, which broke out at the former Birmingham Dog’s Home building in New Canal Street, Digbeth, was reportedly so intense that they were unable to enter the building without first hosing down the scene.
The entire building was damaged by the blaze but the fire crew were ultimately able to tackle it without anyone being harmed.
Nevertheless, they predicted that nearby roads were likely to be affected “for some time.” Expressandstar.com reports that New Canal Street has been closed to all traffic.
Alan Poole, who works at the flower shop directly opposite the cafe, shared fears that other buildings could have been damaged by the momentous blaze.
Speaking to bbc.co.uk, he said: “We saw a few flames rising from the building. Luckily it did not spread over to us but, for a while, it looked as if it would.”
West Midlands Fire Service claim they have no leads as to what might have started the fire. Staff will now speak with the cafe’s owner to determine what might have caused it. Fire risk assessors are likely to be involved at some point.