More than 60 firefighters responded to a fire at a mixed-use tall building in Birmingham city centre on 5 October 2025, which was evacuated of hundreds of people
West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) mobilised 12 fire engines and five brigade response vehicles to the incident at New Street in the early hours of the morning. The fire is believed to have started on the ground floor of the building, which houses an HSBC bank with a Premier Inn hotel above.
At least 200 people had to leave the hotel, with three people led to safety by emergency crews. Four people were treated for smoke inhalation.
In a social media update, WMFS urged locals to avoid the area to allow emergency crews clear access to the scene. Around 14 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the flames, and the fire was confirmed to be out shortly after 4 am.
The service confirmed that firefighters checked every room and carried out a floor-by-floor search of the building. No further casualties were found.
Crews remained at the scene carrying out further checks to “identify and clear remaining pockets of fire”, and investigators into the cause of the blaze were present at the scene on Sunday.
WMFS station commander, Sam Lewis, confirmed that the hotel’s fire alarms had activated and that guests were “awake and aware something was happening”. She told BBC News: “The Premier Inn themselves were really good and confirming who was in the building, what rooms they were in, and then obviously finding a second location for them to be moved to for safety.”
She added that the fire had been contained to the ground floor, with the hotel above sustaining smoke damage only.
A spokesperson for the hotel said: "We would like to thank the emergency services for their response and the swift actions of our team to ensure the evacuation was handled quickly and calmly, and ensuring guests were able to be cared for in one of our nearby hotels."
Also thanking the efforts of the emergency services was Sally Williams, head of branch network at the bank, who said: “I would like to thank the West Midlands Fire Service for the way they handled the situation this morning and brought it under control.
"Their hard work in difficult and dangerous conditions is greatly appreciated."