A FIRE that spread through a market in central Birmingham this afternoon is now under control, according to West Midlands Fire Service.
Forty firefighters tackled the blaze at the Wholesale Market on Pershore Street in Birmingham City Centre.
Residents and workers in Digbeth, which boasts a large Irish community, spotted clouds of heavy smoke just after 2pm and West Midlands Fire Service warned people to avoid the area.
Eyewitness Clara Jennings, 30, a bartender at the Birmingham Irish Centre, which is located just two streets away from the market in Digbeth, told The Irish Post the fire is now contained.
“There aren’t any flames at the moment, just lots of smoke. I went out before to see what was happening, but it’s settled down,” she said.
Eight fire engines attended the scene when the fire broke out.
#PershoreStFire: the current scene inside the Wholesale Markets in #Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/i2G1Nu57YR
— WestMidsFireService (@WestMidsFire) August 6, 2015
West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that 20 per cent of the two storey commercial unit – that offers vegetable, meat and fish markets - was affected.
Another eyewitness, Selina Brown, Founder of Little Miss Creative, who saw events unfold from her office, said at first people were frantic with worry.
“I was walking out the custard factory, I saw a big blank grey cloud above the whole of Birmingham as I walked towards town,” she said.
“The smoke got darker and thicker, and it was harder to breath. People were screaming and running, everyone thought it was a bomb.”
