Telford fire as underground heap of coal catches light

Firefighters were called to an unusual fire after an old coal slag heap caught fire underground.

A man digging land to make room for two bungalows in Telford unearthed the coal, which caught fire.

Firefighters were called to Cemetery Road in Dawley Bank, Telford, yesterday after the builder discovered the smoking coals.

He told firefighters he was not aware of the old slag heap before setting out to work. He told them he suddenly saw steam coming from the ground and felt an intense heat.

Firefighters were called to the site at about 5.45pm and began digging out some of the coal in an attempt to douse the fire.

Crew manager Dave Allen said they were called to help with the excavation and that it was quite a rare call to receive.

He said: "The slag heap was on the edge of his property. The man had only just bought the land so it was a bit of a surprise."

Firefighters were in Cemetery Road from 5.30pm until 10pm and returned at 11.30pm to carry out a reinspection.