Cannock businesses evacuated as fire engulfs parcel centre on industrial estate

Businesses have been evacuated and residents are being urged to close their windows after a large fire broke out at a parcel centre on an industrial estate in Staffordshire.

Huge plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky as firefighters tackled the blaze near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock on Thursday morning.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire started at Super Smart Services – a distribution warehouse “which contains a variety of different materials for delivery”.

A spokesperson said firefighters were called out at 6.15am and 10 fire engines are now in attendance.

No-one was in the building at the time, they said.

Other businesses on the estate are being ordered to evacuate.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Fighters are asking all residents to close windows and doors due to smoke and all local businesses to evacuate.”

Videos and pictures of the fire posted to social media show billowing black smoke filling the sky and moving across the area.

Sam Winter, a 32-year-old scaffolder, captured footage of the fire. He told the PA news agency: “I drove out of Cannock Chase to a plume of smoke, so I drove all the way following it to get a video as my mum works across the road from there.”

Rob Humphries, who lives in Abbots Bromley, noticed smoke while out walking his dog.

The 36-year-old, who took a picture of what he saw, told PA: “I was out on the morning dog walk and spotted a huge plume of smoke in the distance.

“It appeared to be coming from the other side of Cannock Chase, in the direction of Cannock.”