Tea room owner recalls 'lucky escape' after barn fire explosion rocks building
The owner of a tea room near a major fire which caused a barn explosion has said his premises had a lucky escape.
Mark Wellings was working at Stables Tea Room at Kingsnordley near Bridgnorth when he and his customers heard two "massive bangs" which rocked the premises.
The explosions came from a blaze at Kingsnordley Farm, only 500 yards away, which sent a fireball and black smoke high into the sky.
The farm houses a number of buildings and businesses and the blast - thought to have happened in a barn - took place just before midday on Friday.
Mr Wellings said: "There were two massive explosions that not only shook everyone in the building but the building itself. It was followed by two massive plumes of smoke and you can still see smoke now
"I just hope everyone is ok as it was a major explosion and it was a lucky escape for us because the wind was blowing the smoke away from us otherwise we would have had to shut.
"A lot of the customers were talking about it as they had seen or heard the bang - it was obviously the main talking point at lunchtime."
Brian Jervis, who has run the Cider House in nearby Quatt for 38 years said he was away from the premises but saw "great plumes of smoke" go into the air and a lot of his customers had heard the explosion.
Mr Jervis - who also runs the Lion O'Morfe at Upper Farmcote - said: "I imagine it could be heard a long way off. We are not far away and although there were road closures, we were allowed in because we live here and people seem to be getting by but it has caused a lot of disruption in the area."
Claire Ashmore was in the Broadlanes Six Ashes area, approximately a mile away from the explosion, and said: "We saw several balls of fire with big bangs and obviously the bellowing smoke. Anything else I know I’m afraid is what I’ve seen on social media. I just hope there weren’t more injuries."
The fire has left one person injured and forced the closure of several roads in the area, including those linking Bridgnorth with Kidderminster and Stourbridge.
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service said crews from Bridgnorth, Telford, Tweedale, Craven Arms, Prees, Wellington, Shrewsbury and Albrighton have been tackling the flames, with support from colleagues at West Midlands, Staffordshire and Hereford and Worcester fire services.
West Midlands Ambulance Service also sent out one ambulance, the air ambulance, the Hazardous Area Response Team and a Community First Responder.
A spokeswoman said: "Upon arrival we found a man. He was assessed and had sustained potentially serious injuries. He received treatment on scene and was conveyed to Russells Hall Hospital for further assessment.”
