14 people, including children, saved from Birmingham tower block fire

14 people, including 6 children, have been evacuated from a fire at a block of flats in Birmingham.

Emergency services were called at 5:40pm after it broke out at James House in Newtown, with a total of 46 firefighters attending the incident.

In a statement, West Midlands Fire Service say;

The fire, which started in the staircase on the 11th floor, was quickly extinguished by our crews. The fire did not spread to any of the flats in the building, however smoke entered some flats on floors 10-12 when residents opened their doors. Crews wearing breathing apparatus used Smoke Hoods, which enable safer and swifter evacuation, to evacuate 10 residents through the smoked filled areas.

In total 14 residents, including 6 children were led to safety. They were treated for smoke inhalation on scene alongside a few residents who left the building themselves.

The fire service says it's working closely with West Midlands Police and West Midlands Ambulance Service to establish more details around what happened. An investigation has started, but it's a suspected arson attack.

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• Fire
• Birmingham