School forced to shut during college fire reopens

A school has reopened to pupils after it was forced to shut because of a huge fire at a nearby former college.

The blaze broke out at the disused Hunters Hill College site in Blackwell, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, shortly after 21:00 BST on Monday.

Dozens of firefighters tackled the flames throughout the night and well into Tuesday before it was extinguished, while residents were urged to keep their windows and doors closed.

Nearby Blackwell First School, on St Catherine's Road, was shut for the day following advice from the fire service but confirmed to the BBC it had reopened on Wednesday morning.

The school said on Tuesday it made the decision to shut after it had been told by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service the air quality was poor.

No-one was injured in the incident, the fire service confirmed, and an investigation into the cause of the blaze had begun.

Station commander Chris White described the fire as "well-developed" and "intense" when crews first arrived but explained nobody needed to be evacuated from the surrounding area.

He said on Tuesday people were warned to stay away from the smoke plume due to the building and materials containing "all sorts of nasties".

On the investigation, he confirmed teams had been at the site but said it was too soon to determine the cause.

Hunters Hill College, which operated as a community special school, had fallen into disrepair since closing in August 2021.

Despite being in Worcestershire, the site had been run by Birmingham City Council.

The authority's Conservative group deputy leader Alex Yip said it had been donated by the Cadbury family for the use of people living in the city.

He said he was "appalled" to hear about the fire and had sent a letter to the council calling for a full public account of what caused the flames, including why it "became vulnerable to vandalism and fire".

Birmingham City Council said it was aware of the fire and the concern it had caused "given the building's history and its importance to many families".

The authority had been working to prepare the site so it could be marketed to potential buyers, a spokesperson said, and steps were taken to reduce risks at the site, including partial demolition works.

"Despite these measures, it is clear that this has not been sufficient to prevent this latest incident," they added.

The spokesperson said the council would review its disposal strategy and work to carry on with the site's sale so a "suitable long-term use" could be secured.

"As with many specialist former education sites, identifying a viable future use can take time, particularly given the need to balance educational, community and legal considerations linked to its trust status," they said.

"The council takes the safety and security of its sites seriously and will continue to review arrangements as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident."

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