Rooftop rescue after fire at shop

Jul 2 2007 By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

FIVE frightened people were plucked to safety from a roof 30ft up in a dramatic rescue by fire-fighters as fire swept through a shop and office beneath flats in the Midlands.

The five, all adults, were led to safety down ladders after clambering through a window and on to the third storey roof of the blazing building in Coventry Street, Kidderminster, to escape deadly smoke.

None required treatment. Staff and residents from the nearby Lion Hotel, in the same complex, were evacuated as up to 60 firefighters battled against the flames.

The fire, which broke out in one of a row of shops about 4.45 am yesterday, is being investigated by fire experts and police.

Structural engineers were being called in to inspect the damage.

Watch manager Graham Childs, of Kidderminster Fire Service, said the outbreak was so severe that flames spread upwards to an office and through the roof of the flat directly above within 20 minutes of crews arriving. They were able to stop the blaze spreading sideways.

"People had clambered onto the roof to escape from the smoke inside the building," said Mr Childs. "They were getting a bit panicky but we managed to calm them down and we brought them down the ladders to safety."