Birmingham tower block evacuated after ‘horrible’ smell as resident says ‘I couldn’t breathe’

Residents were evacuated from a tower block in Birmingham for more than three hours after they reported a “horrid smell”. A “strong chemical-like smell” was reported by residents of Speedwell House in Hillmeads Road, Kings Norton, just after 7pm on Tuesday 21 May, prompting a mass evacuation and a major 999 response of crews.

Roads were closed around Hillmeads Road and residents were forced to wait outside the block from 7pm until 10.30pm on Tuesday. West Midlands Fire Service sent four crews to the scene from Bournbrook, Kings Norton, Billesley and Highgate and there were no injuries.

Today, Wednesday, the resident who raised the alarm told BirminghamLive he smelled something “horrible” in his flat. He said: “I couldn’t breathe in the bathroom, it was awful. It was like rotten eggs.

Read more about how the incident unfolded last night on our live blog here.

READ MORE: ‘Chemical incident’ leads to Birmingham tower block evacuation, road closure

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“It’s the worst smell I’ve ever encountered”

“The fire crews came out and within five minutes, everyone was out. As we walked, the smell got worse and worse. Everyone was evacuated.” The resident said there had been repeated problems in the area with sewage and drainage, which he believed contributed to the incident.

He continued: “They think it was the leaks. I’m waiting for (the council) to come out. They’re fixing it. It’s not as bad as it was. We were all sitting outside in the rain. We were under cover for hours.

“I’ve had odors before, but never this severe. We have been here for 13 years and it is the worst smell we have ever encountered. I’ve always taken them out of the drain.

“All sewage seems to go to one place – our place!” The resident said there was a strong sense of community last night as tenants came together. “We all stood together and conquered it.”

Shopkeeper Mandip Singh, who works in a shop in a compound opposite, said his employee saw the evacuation. “There were a lot of police and ambulances, but after that I didn’t know what happened,” he said.

“The store was still open. There were several fire crews.” Of the area in general, he added, “People come and go here, do what they have to do and go.”

West Midlands Fire statement

West Midlands Fire Service group manager Jason Holt, an operations manager for Birmingham North, previously said: “We received a call about a strong chemical smell on the seventh floor of a tower block in Hillmeads Road, Kings Norton.

“We had four crews as well as officers from Birmingham City Council and police and ambulance crews. The ambulance service carried out precautionary checks on the residents and all were OK.

“We are now searching the building where the smell is coming from. We have evacuated the building from floor seven to floor 10 at the top as a precaution. We are working with Birmingham City Council to check all elements – the drains. and gaps and locations in the building from which the odor could emanate.

“Firefighters who attended the incident said there was an odor in the building. The main road has been reopened, but the side road near the tower block is still closed.”

Birmingham City Council Statement

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: “Council crews worked closely with West Midlands Fire Services last night after being called to a strong chemical smell on the seventh floor of a tower block in Hillmeads Road, Kings Norton.

“Floors seven to 10 were evacuated as a precaution while relevant teams carried out checks in the building. Emergency services cleared the night late and all residents can now return to their homes.

“Council repair crews carried out some work last week to replace some pipes. Council officers are still at the scene today to investigate drains and other possible causes of the smell. Tenants are provided with regular updates to keep them informed of the outcome of these investigations.”