Birmingham gas cylinder fire forces road closure

It has been reported that residents who lived within a short distance from a gas cylinder fire in Birmingham had to be evacuated from their homes on Tuesday afternoon.

All homes in the vicinity of Ken elm Road in Small Heath were emptied by the local council’s Birmingham Resilience Team (BRT) after a blaze broke out in a garden shed where a number of gas cylinders were stored. People who could not gain access to their homes took refuge at Sally Leisure Centre.

These precautionary measures were taken due to the threat of a gas explosion and so a cordon was erected around the scene, with the road closed to traffic. The fire was spotted at around 1:30pm and residents were still unable to go back to their properties until after 8:30pm.

A spokesman of the police said:

“The risk to residents due to gas cylinders which were unsafe following a fire has been reassessed by specially trained staff and the vast majority of people living in the area can now return to their normal daily lives.

“A small number of houses will need to remain evacuated for safety reasons.”

Fire investigators are working with West Midlands Police to determine the cause of the fire.