Residents in Stourbridge joined forces to protect their homes from a devastating grass fire, using hosepipes and buckets of water in a display of 'wartime' community spirit. The fire, which broke out on August 13, threatened hundreds of properties before being brought under control.
Community springs into action
Cllr Tony Creed, who represents the Norton ward where the fire started, was among those who fought to stop the flames from spreading into The Covert, a nearby woodland. He described how residents worked together to keep the area wet.
"I was out in The Covert, Sandy Road, all the residents were there, we got hose pipes running down the gardens into The Covert keeping everything wet," Cllr Creed said. "They were coupling hoses together from all the houses to get water down into the bottom."
Throughout the night, residents of Sandy Road maintained a rota for a fire watch, patrolling the wood to spot any new outbreaks.
Fire threatens homes
As the fire burned towards homes around Racecourse Lane, embers and ash were carried on the wind, landing in the bone-dry Covert. Cllr Creed described the desperate efforts to extinguish the embers.
"It did jump across, we were trying to kick sand over the embers but there was so much dead wood and dead leaves, we were stamping them out," he said. "People had got buckets of water ready to rush across and they would fill wheelie bins with water so they could fill the buckets."
"They were spraying fences but it was dry again in ten minutes. It was a real wartime experience, we didn't lose any houses on Norton Road, it burned the outbuildings on one coming out of Stourbridge, the sheds at the bottom of the garden and fences."
Major incident response
Community members gathered at around 7pm on August 13 after it became clear the major incident was threatening their neighbourhood. They organised a rota for people to patrol vulnerable areas.
"The majority of people were straightforward 'let's get on with it, let's put some water down' they were fantastic," Cllr Creed said. "The police and fire service were great, the fire was moving towards Hagley and they had got problems up there as well so they were really stretched."
At the height of the blaze, 100 firefighters were on the scene. Several houses were destroyed before the fire was brought under control. Large parts of the area remained sealed off as crews worked to damp down hotspots.
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said: "As we continue our work at the scene, we would like to thank everyone who has supported our response so far – both inside and outside WMFS. We have been truly taken aback by the community response, kindness and support in the Stourbridge area."
