'I wish we were being told more after Birmingham fire'

A woman who lost her childhood home during devastating fires in the West Midlands last week has criticised a local council for what she called a lack of communication with her father who escaped the premises unharmed.

Carol Squires grew up in the council property on Gorleston Road in Warstock, Birmingham, and her 70-year-old father William Lloyd was living there when the blaze broke out.

The fire, which started on Thursday, destroyed six homes in total and affected dozens of gardens. But while Squires's dad was safe, and Birmingham City Council had since found him somwhere else to live, she said there needed to be greater detail about what would happen to him.

A neighbour has shared similar frustration over communication with the authority which said its officers had been helping those who were affected and in temporary accommodation.

But Squires told the BBC: "My dad hasn't heard anything off them, apart from the fact they've managed to get him some accommodation."

Neighbour Tony Aldhouse's home, also a council property, was unaffected but he lost his garden to the blaze and said his and other properties, which backed on to a council-owned park, needed to be fenced off so that the public could not access them.

He said as the garden was burning, 14 fence panels were lost.

"It's completely open at the moment, anyone can walk in," he said.

"People have been taking photos standing in my garden."

"I haven't heard anything from the council."

The council said it was working to support community clean-ups and would help with the disposal of debris and waste, with its building control team securing council tenants' properties.

"A mix of properties were affected by the fire – some were council properties, and others were either owner-occupied or private rented homes," it said.

"We are looking to provide support to all residents affected, however landlords and owners are also supported by their insurance providers."

As the fire burned in Birmingham on Thursday, another in the Stourbridge area, which falls under Dudley Borough, was also under way. The latter was larger in scale and devastated 19 homes as the UK recorded its hottest day of the year.

"Due to the severity of the Stourbridge fires, the level of response in relation to these fires has been different to that required in Birmingham, but both take into account the individual needs of the circumstances in each area," Birmingham City Council said.

In the meantime, Squires said her dad was reluctant to return to view the damage.

"He doesn't want to come back," she said. "I think he thinks it'll destroy what memories he's got left of my mum."

Her mum died about 18 months ago, after spending more than four decades living in the house with her husband.

Squires said her father was unable to grab any belongings when the fire broke out.

"The fire had got hold so quick, they got him out and just told him he needed to go," she said.

"I'm in shock, it's my family home, it's all the memories of us as kids when we were running round jumping over the fence getting into the park."

She added: "I've seen drone footage [of the damage] - the second floor has completely gone, the only thing that's holding up is the four walls.

"We're going to carry on as a family and get over this and help my dad get over it as well."

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