Smethwick suspected cannabis factory blaze
Firefighters discover equipment which could be used to cultivate drug plants after fire at disused premises in Rolfe Street
Firefighters discover equipment which could be used to cultivate drug plants after fire at disused premises in Rolfe Street
Around 30 firefighters attended a severe blaze in the centre of a Black Country town in a building suspected of being a cannabis factory.
Crews from Smethwick, Handsworth, West Bromwich and Oldbury attended the fire in disused premises in Rolfe Street, Smethwick, near the junction of New Street and Tollhouse Way.
Rolfe Street remained closed while firefighters handled the blaze, which started at around 11.45pm.
Police found equipment at the scene which could have been used to cultivate drugs.
It took several hours for firefighters to get the blaze under control and crews eventually scaled down their operation at around 2.30am.
Motorists and late-night pedestrians were warned to avoid the area.
The road near the scene is still blocked this morning and diversions remain in place.
Fire and police investigators are working at the site of the incident.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: We were called at around midnight to a report of a fire at a business premises in Rolfe Street, Smethwick.
“Officers initially attended in order to direct traffic. While there, they were made aware of equipment at the scene which suggested someone may have been trying to set up a cannabis factory. There were no plants at the scene.”
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