FIREFIGHTERS are expected to work into the evening to contain a fire at an industrial estate in Brierley Hill.

Clouds of black smoke billowed from the area near The New Wellington pub in Brettell Lane for much of this afternoon.

Four fire engines were dispatched to the scene, the incident began at around 1pm today (May 17).

Several hours after the fire service were called, crews were still working to stop the fire spreading to nearby warehouse buildings.

Water was being pumped from a nearby canal as part of the firefighting operation.

At its height, there were more than 30 firefighters working to put the blaze out.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said the first crew arrived at the scene within three minutes of the 999 call.

He added that he expects firefighters to remain at the site for the majority of the evening to ensure the fire stays under control.

The spokesperson said: "The fire involves a large quantity of timber and paper, measuring around 50 square metres.

"The incident is now 'sectorised', which is standard procedure and involves breaking the fire down into sections.

"We used six main water jets and two hose jets, and the firefighters were wearing breathing apparatus.

"They will make sure the material underneath cools down and will remain at the scene for quite a while as there is always the risk of one small ember reigniting the fire."

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Picture: West Midlands Fire Service/@Wayneshakespea1