Residents in several roads in Oldbury have been asked to leave their homes after a second fire in as many days at the former Brandhall Golf Course, with a separate report of an explosion at a nearby property. Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the site on Thursday, August 13, with homes close to the course believed to be at risk.
The fire is believed to have taken hold in the northern part of the golf course site, which has now seen two significant incidents in two days. The first fire occurred on Wednesday, August 12, and was described as having been "somewhat contained" by local councillor Luke Cotterill.
Evacuations and Explosion Reports
Councillor Luke Cotterill (Old Warley, Labour) said: "There is another fire over on the golf course. It is at the top of what would have been the first hole and second tee, if you know where that is, backing onto the garages on Ferndale Road. The police have asked that everybody evacuates the houses."
Cotterill also reported a second incident: "Another thing that didn't help matters is there is a second house fire as well just off the golf course. So if people can just stay safe, listen to the police's instructions and just evacuate."
According to Cotterill, police told him there had been what he described as "an explosion" at a house in either Ferndale Road or Oakdale Road, which involved a fire and a separate "considerable fire" on the golf course. He noted that with the fire in Oldbury, the fire service was stretched with its resources.
Wind Direction Change Reduces Risk
Houses had been evacuated, but in his last update with police, Cotterill said the wind direction had changed, which meant the fire, which was close to trees at the perimeter, was less at risk. The change in wind direction helped reduce the immediate threat to nearby properties.
Cotterill had earlier posted on Thursday morning about the Wednesday fire, saying: "Last night I was made aware of a fire on Brandhall Golf Course so I've been over to have a look this morning. The fire has been somewhat contained and the fire brigade clearly did a good job and reacted quickly to prevent what could have been really devastating."
He added: "I'll be asking for more information from the relevant authorities today but if this was done deliberate and there is anything anyone wants to share please feel free to contact me anonymously. It's really lucky the fire didn't spread to the nearby trees as that would have been a disaster."
Future Development Plans
The former Brandhall Golf Course is earmarked for 190 new homes on the site, as well as the replacement for Causeway Green Primary School and a 67-acre public park. That plan came after a bigger backlash to the original proposal for 550 homes.
The repeated fires raise concerns about the site's safety and the potential impact on the planned development. Residents are advised to follow police instructions and stay safe as investigations continue.
