More than 40 firefighters and 10 fire crews are tackling a huge parkland blaze in West Bromwich that has consumed an area larger than 20 football pitches. The fire broke out on Friday afternoon, July 3, at Hateley Heath Public Open Space, located between Gordon Avenue and Westminster Road in the Stone Cross area.
Fire Spreads Rapidly Across Grassland
The blaze began shortly before 2:30pm behind The Phoenix Collegiate and Sandwell Community School. West Midlands Fire Service dispatched 10 appliances from stations including West Bromwich, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Perry Barr in Birmingham. By the time crews arrived, the fire had already spread across approximately 145,000 square metres of grassland, an area equivalent to more than 20 football pitches.
Public Urged to Avoid Area
The fire service issued a warning on social media platform X, urging residents and workers in the vicinity to keep doors and windows closed and to avoid the area where possible. A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said: “We received the first call at 2.23pm on Friday. At its height we had 10 appliances there. Some 145,000 square metres of grass was alight. The focus now is more on damping down and dealing with hotspots.”
Ongoing Efforts to Control Blaze
As of five hours after the initial call, firefighters remained on scene, working to fully extinguish the fire and prevent any re-ignition. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the scale of the blaze required a significant multi-crew response. The affected parkland is a public open space used by local residents and students from nearby schools.
