Image source, WFMS

Stourbridge Town Hall has been opened as a rest centre for people who have left their homes because of the fire.

Transport is also being arranged for anyone who cannot make their own way there.

West Midlands Fire Service said it was facing "extreme levels of demand".

"Wherever you are in the West Midlands, please do whatever you can to stay safe and minimise the risk of outdoor fires," it said. "Please don’t head to areas where fires are taking place to watch."

People directly affected by a fire are being told not to try to tackle it themselves, but to get somewhere safe and call 999.

Image source, James Lees

West Mercia Police has confirmed it is supporting fire crews at fire in Worcestershire after officers were called to Three Springs Road, Pershore at about 16:30 BST.

The force said it could not confirm the cause of the blaze but asked people to stay away from the area.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has also been contacted for information.

Michael Morgan said he saw the fire spreading rapidly as he drove along Norton Road, in Stourbridge, this afternoon.

He said he stopped to call the fire service because he could not initially see any firefighters at the scene.

His call was answered by the London Fire Brigade, which he believes was due to the high volume of calls being made to emergency services.

"When the fire brigade finally came, the whole lot was just engulfed in flames, including the fire truck," he said. "The flames just came straight through the bushes and covered the fire truck in flames. It just engulfed it."

We are also hearing about a fire in Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent.

BBC reporter Alex Frost is at the scene and says it is in the an area off James Brindley Way.

People are gathered on the street, and there is a cordon, with police clearing the street.

Image source, Jordan Andrew Card

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has declared a major incident due to a "large fire" at Tothall Lane, Salford Priors, near Alcester.

A spokesperson said: "There is a large emergency presence in the area and we continue to advise residents nearby to close all doors and windows.

"Please stay away from the area to allow emergency services immediate access and if you live by close all doors and windows."

Jane Baxter, who lives just off Norton Road, says she and her neighbours were evacuated from their homes as a precaution.

Her house backs directly onto Stourbridge Golf Course.

She said she first noticed the smell of smoke at about 13:15 BST before seeing the flames.

"We could see the flames above the rooftops of the houses - that was how high the flames were," she said.

Image source, Chris Dunnington

By about 15:30, police had arrived on her road and told those in the eight homes backing onto the golf course to get out and leave.

She said police told residents that strong and unpredictable winds could cause the fire to spread rapidly.

Baxter said: "The fire has obviously taken hold very quickly and the police said they were concerned."

She is staying at her son's house and has been told she cannot return home until the fire is completely out.

Chris Dunnington, a Stourbridge resident, said his in-laws were evacuated from Osmaston Road, just off Norton Road.

"My mother-in-law is upset because she doesn't want embers landing on her house and because she's been evacuated she can't look after her own house," he said.

"I think they've been evacuated because of the smoke but she's certainly getting worried now."

Image source, Chris Dunnington

Describing the scene, Dunnington said: "The smoke was just insane. It was black smoke from the fields and then we saw the fire coming onto the driveways and fences of the first house.

"The wind picked up so strong so it was just fuelling the flames. It was just the perfect disaster."

Flames are reigniting in Norton Covert, according to a reporter at the scene.

Locals have been seen beating at the flames as the nearest fire engine is out of water.

Here is what we know so far about the fire in Stourbridge, in the West Midlands:

• Several houses are on fire and two people have been hurt as dozens of firefighters tackle a large grass fire near Stourbridge Golf Course
• They were first called just before 13:30 BST on Thursday
• The blaze spread across roads and to six properties and covers of an area of about 40 acres
• People are being urged to avoid the area and keep doors and windows closed if smoke is affecting their homes or workplaces.
• There have been two casualties as a result of heat and smoke, the fire service added

We're also hearing West Midlands Fire Service have been tackling two other major blazes:

• On the other side of Birmingham, in Castle Vale, paramedics were called just before 13:30 BST after homes on the street were badly damaged in a fire
• Part of a roof one one building had collapsed and a woman suffered serious injuries
• She was taken along with a man to hospital, the ambulance service said
• Elsewhere, travel firm INRIX is reporting that Gilbertstone Avenue in Solihull has been closed between Clay Lane and A45 Coventry Road due to a serious fire

We have been sent this footage by Andrew Hope and you can see just how big this fire is.

Smoke has been blowing all around Stourbridge in the West Midlands:

People are being urged to avoid the area in nearby Norton Road in Stourbridge.

Residents have also been told to keep doors and windows shut.

Photos from the scene show several fire engines and other vehicles parked along the street while smoke fills the sky.

Image source, Suzanne Webb

Image source, Suzanne Webb

This dramatic photo from the scene shows a fire engine engulfed in smoke as flames lap over the vehicle.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service / Michael Morgan

Former Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb, who lives about three-quarters of a mile away from Norton Road, says she found out about the fire from the smell of smoke. She saw ash falling from the sky and "huge plumes of smoke".

Webb says the flames may have spread to Stourbridge Golf Course but this was not yet unconfirmed.

She praised the firefighters tackling the blaze, adding: "To have 60 firefighters there shows you the intensity of it."

People "far and wide out of Stourbridge town" could see the smoke, she told the BBC.

Chris Dunnington was passing Norton Road, Stourbridge while the fire was burning at about 15:00 BST.

He said the "air was filled with smoke" and he saw people "crowding around taking videos".

Image source, Chris Dunnington

Image source, Chris Dunnington

Network Rail says all services between Stourbridge Junction and Hagley are currently suspended due the fire alongside the track.

"We are supporting the emergency services while they deal with this incident," they said in a statement on X.

West Midlands Fire Service says there have been two people affected by heat and smoke from the fire.

There are understood to be a number of nearby properties experiencing power issues.

Six properties are now affected by the fire, the fire service has confirmed.

They added the blaze was estimated to involve an area of about 40 acres, including a wood.

BBC reporter Ian Murphy said he could smell smoke in the air in Wollaston, a few miles away from the fire.

"The inside of the house smells so strongly that I went to check in the garden and upstairs in case the fire was much closer," he said.

"My parents live round the corner from the fire and said they first noticed it when they went to sit outside at around 13:00 BST.

"They can hear very loud explosions, loud cracking and there's loads of dense smoke in the air."

A huge plume of smoke was reported in the area around Stourbridge Golf Course on Thursday afternoon, from about 13:00 BST.

People have been advised to avoid the area and nearby residents told to keep doors and windows shut.

Image source, Suzanne Webb