Staffordshire: Businesses ordered to evacuate as 10 fire engines tackle Cannock parcel centre fire

9 May 2024, 09:26 | Updated: 9 May 2024, 12:48

Businesses have been evacuated and 10 fire engines sent to the scene after a fire broke out in a Staffordshire parcel centre.

Firefighters are tackling a blaze at Super Smart Services - a distribution warehouse "which contains a variety of different materials for delivery" - near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock.

Plumes of black smoke were seen billowing out from the centre on Thursday morning, with some on social media claiming it could be seen 10 miles away.

Rob Humphries, who lives in Abbots Bromley, told PA he saw the "huge plume of smoke in the distance" while walking his dog in the morning.

A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said its firefighters were called out at 6.15am, and that no one was in the parcel centre at the time of the fire.

Other businesses on the estate were also ordered to evacuate and nearby residents were told to close their windows.

A total of 10 fire engines attended the blaze. West Midlands Fire Service and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service also assisted.

As of writing, it is unclear what caused the fire.

Super Smart Services says on its website that its Cannock site opened in September 2019 creating "more than 300+ new jobs".

(c) Sky News 2024: Staffordshire: Businesses ordered to evacuate as 10 fire engines tackle Cannock parcel centre fire