A HUGE fire erupted at a wax recycling plant on Saxon Business Park in Stoke Prior on Monday night, with officials opening an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

The incident, in Hanbury Road, was reported at 6.30pm on September 19, with 13 fire crews, 65 firefighters and specialist command units being sent to the scene.

Crews from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service fought to control the blaze, preventing "an extremely intense fire" from spreading to other businesses.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) personnel also attended through until 9.45pm, although there were thankfully no people caught in the devastation.

The exact cause of the blaze is as yet unknown and a fire investigation is on-going.

A spokesperson from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: "On arrival crews were faced with a large building which was fully involved in fire.

"The fire was also threatening to spread to adjacent units.  

"In addition to a severe fire crews were faced with other significant hazards including gas cylinders and a running fuel fire.  

"At its height a total of 13 fire appliances, 65 firefighters, including specialist foam, water, aerial, environmental and command units, fought the fire.

"In spite of difficult conditions and an extremely intense fire, crews worked hard and managed to contain the fire to the re-cycling plant and prevent significant damage to surrounding businesses.

"Several workers from neighbouring units were safely evacuated and thankfully nobody has been hurt at the incident."

Area Commander Keith Chance praised the work of his team.

He said: "Due to the swift and professional actions of fire crews, working in a very hazardous environment, we have been able to prevent the fire from destroying surrounding businesses and ensure nobody was hurt.

"Our priority now is to fully extinguish the fire and enable other businesses on site to open as usual."

Watch Commander Keith Peters, from Bromsgrove Fire Station, said power had been restored to the majority of businesses on the site by 11am on Tuesday with a fire investigation is now underway.

He said: "We have a fire investigation in place currently and an officer is on the scene. 

"We have worked very hard to minimise disruption to the tenants of the estate on both Saxon and Harris business parks. 

"The crews put into place their training to maximum effect.

"We have restored power to the vast majority of the site and things are beginning to look normal. It is business as usual this morning."

A WMAS spokeswoman added: "Our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics were on scene together with a paramedic area support officer and an emergency preparedness manager.

"There were no patients thankfully and we were stood down from the scene at 9.45pm."

The fire service received a deluge of calls in relation to the blaze, which could reportedly be seen from Birmingham city centre.

Clouds of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from miles away and locals believe the fire started at around 6pm.

West Mercia Police were sent to assist by using a drone to look for hot spots at the site of the fire.

Fire personnel advised residents who live close to the Hanbury Road fire to close their windows and doors.

Fire crews will remain on site, working with colleagues from the Police, Ambulance, Environment Agency and Public Health England, to resolve the incident.

For more photos, click here, or to see drone footage of the fire, click here.