102 Moseley Rd in 2008, from Barnard on The Stirrer
As has been well documented in local and national media, there was an ‘incredibly severe fire’ in a disused care home on Moseley Road yesterday morning, in which two people died and another two were injured. Below is an unedited press release and appeal for information sent to me by West Midlands Police. There is also a discussion around the incident on The Stirrer Forum.
FOR RELEASE: WEST Midlands Police and the fire service continue to investigate the cause of a major fire at a disused care home.
The unexplained blaze which claimed the lives of two people happened in the early hours of yesterday morning (Tuesday 20 July) on Mosley Road, Highgate.
Two men escaped the building which officers now know was used by rough sleepers.
One of the survivors, a 23-year-old man, remains in a stable condition in hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns.
The second, a 48-year-old man, also attended hospital and was discharged the same day.
The two people whose remains were found are yet to be identified.
Mosley Road itself remains closed as structural engineers from the city council assess the site.
Chief Inspector Sean Russell, from Birmingham Central police station said: “Given the severity of the fire, the investigation is likely to take some considerable time.
“We continue to keep an open mind as to the cause of this unexplained fire and urge anyone with any information about the people who used the building or the incident itself to contact us.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Birmingham Central police station or the national charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
I would like to point out that this Circa 1820-30 Georgian House was Grade Two listed it was boarded up in 2009 together with several other listed buildings in the same stretch in Moseley Road by Highgate Park.
Are we to expect the others to follow the same fate?
I was transferred to our Moseley road office in July 2005 and noticed that there was a white house on this stretch of road that was already empty and i’m sure it was this one. On the left side of the house was a red brick house.
Because we haven’t had access to that stretch of the road since the fire i cant be sure it’s the same house but if it is its been empty ever since.
It is odd that the owners would leave a house in a prime location to the elements. I’m of the opinion they are living abroad
It’s a real shame that we have homeless people and people sleeping rough in conditions like this when there are so many empty house like this that could be taken off the owners, repaired and used to house our poorest people.
If an owner leaves a house empty for too long and doesn’t look after it or uitlise it as a house, or leave in the hands of a charity that could use it to house the homeless they don’t deserve to keep it.
And people have to die just because they needed a roof over their head.
yasmin
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