People were evacuated from a high-rise apartment building after a heavy fire in Coventry last night (April 16th).
The West Midlands Fire Department says the fire was on the 15th floor of the 16-story Nauls Mill House.
Emergency services were called on Middleborough Road in the Coundon area of the city just before 9 p.m.
About 75 firefighters were present and 15 pumps were used.
17 emergency vehicles were sent to the scene, including 13 firefighters. A hydraulic lifting platform was also used.
Fire crews were called in from several fire stations in Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham. West Midlands Police, West Midlands Ambulance and local authorities were also present.
The fire department told ITV News Central that some people had been treated for smoke inhalation.
Credit: Twitter / @sadieshatterly
Five adults, a child and a baby were asked to wear fire escape hoods before being taken to safety by firefighters with breathing apparatus. Five other people also evacuated the building on their own.
The fire service informed people on social media just before 1 am to confirm that the fire was extinguished, and the ambulance service in the West Midlands said no one was seriously injured.
One woman said she was trying to leave the 7th floor of the building with two young children, but struggled because the elevators were down and the stairs were soaked with water.
She says she eventually escaped after climbing the stairs while pushing a cart.
She said she “wanted to go down” and shouted for help as the apartments were dark and the emergency lights didn’t seem to work.
“I slept here last night, but there’s no electricity this morning, so I’ll stay with a friend,” she said of her experience.
Another resident described the building as “dark as tar.”
She said there was no water in the building all morning as Citizen Housing was trying to arrange temporary accommodation for residents.
Another resident, who lives on the 10th floor of Nauls Mill House, said: “I watched TV and heard shouts and thought there was a battle here. Usually on a Saturday night you’d think there was a fight or something. I didn’t think of anything about it, I looked outside and saw nothing.
It wasn’t until I heard the word “fire” that I thought, “Did I hear it right?” And then I looked up and saw it.
He says residents were left disappointed by the ordeal.
“There were children downstairs in cars who could not enter the building, there were no blankets for them,” he said.
“These are the children, I don’t care about myself. The children were left in the cars, the children who were left were standing in the parking lot and the people were still there at 2 am when I left,” he added.
An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the fire.
Add Comment