A Birmingham dad caught up in a tower block fire has spoken of his terrifying high rise ordeal with his three-year-old disabled son. Dad Russell Farrell heard a bang before seeing thick smoke billowing from the letterbox of his neighbour’s eighth floor flat at just after 9pm last night, Saturday December 30.
After alerting fire crews to Manderville House in Walnut Way, Turves Green, he was told by firefighters to shut himself away in the flat with his toddler and wait for an update. Minutes past as the dad cradled his young frightened son, not knowing how bad the fire was.
Locals neighbouring the residential tower block, between Longbridge and West Heath, came out to see what was happening as emergency services filled the cul-de-sac with flashing blue lights. Police were also at the scene.
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Russell said he went to investigate after he ‘noticed someone kicking the door of where the fire was.’ “That’s when the sprinklers and fire alarm went off and I noticed smoke coming from the letter box,” he added.
“I alerted the emergency services and they arrived within about three minutes. It was scary to know the fire was on my floor as I’ve got a disabled son. We were told by the emergency services to stay indoors there on the eighth floor whilst they put the fire out.
“My son is only three and was frightened by all the commotion going on. I didn’t know how bad the fire was or what was going to happen.”
“The emergency services contained the fire pretty quickly and will always be grateful to them. I’m just glad that I was able to notice it before any real damage was done and anyone got hurt.
“Everyone in the block was OK and no harm came to anyone but it could have been a lot worse.”
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Another local called Emma said: “My friend lives above where the fire was and said it was scary. All the sprinklers were going off.”
Resident Katie Costello was in the neighbouring tower block and suddenly heard a lot of sirens and noise. “I heard a lot of commotion and watched from the window,” said Katie. “There were easily over 30 emergency vehicles out there.
“Some people started to come out the blocks to find out what was going on. Never in my 12 years [here] have I seen anything like it. Hope everyone involved is safe and sound.”
West Midlands Fire Service said that it was called to the scene at around 9pm last night.
“There was a fire at Manderville House on the eighth floor,” said the fire service spokesperson. “It was a small fire and fire crews were there for around two and a half hours. No-one was injured.”
West Midlands Police has been contacted for a comment.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
