Firefighters tackling a blaze involving 100,000 tonnes of plastic recycling material and a factory unit say they have now contained the largest fire seen in the West Midlands.
The fire has been blamed on Chinese lanterns that dropped on the plastics.
Over 200 firefighters have attended the blaze in Smethwick. Three of them have been taken to hospital.
A plume of smoke is rising 6,000ft into the air from the fire at the Jayplas depot in Dartmouth Road.
The huge flames are still very powerful and are producing plumes of thick black smoke.
We have now had more than 200 firefighters tackling the blaze including crews from Warwickshire and Staffordshire.
Because of the intensity of the fire they are having to pull crews in and out quite quickly.
Nine firefighters have been treated for injuries including heat exhaustion.
I have been told by the fire commander it is a very dangerous and very intense fire to try to tackle.
What they are trying to do is tackle it from the perimeter and get the fire surrounded before they put it out.
The fire is on an industrial estate, but the closest residents were being advised to keep windows closed.
The fire service said Dartmouth Road, Halfords Lane and Brasshouse Lane were closed to traffic and that the fire was likely to cause congestion in the area.
It also urged motorists to avoid junction one of the M5 if possible.
Nearby Galton Valley Primary School in Brasshouse Lane was closed because of the road closures.
Birmingham International Airport was alerted although flights were unaffected.
'Tremendous heat'Chief fire officer Vij Randeniya said the fire, which began at about 23:00 BST on Sunday, had been contained to an area of about 90,000 sq m.
Mr Randeniya said his crews had saved a number of warehouses.
"We've also removed 12 articulated lorries, saved an awful lot of businesses on the perimeter and now we're to spend the next two or three days putting the thing out," he said.
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Aerial footage shows the extent of the fire
"The heat that's coming off that fire is tremendous.
"The smoke's gone up to 6,000 feet but it's sucking the air in around the area and that's feeding oxygen which is making the fire burn more fiercely."
The service has previously campaigned against the use of Chinese lanterns.
"What you're doing in an unregulated and uncontrolled way is putting fire in the sky and every now and again it lands on something like this and we're here for three days," Mr Randeniya said.
Area commander Steve Vincent described it as the "largest fire that we've had in the West Midlands".
The fire service said its control centre had received more than 200 calls about the blaze and urged people to call 999 only if really necessary.
The ambulance service said it had treated 11 firefighters "for a variety of minor injuries, though three were taken to hospital overnight".
"Injuries include heat exhaustion, injuries to eyes and an ankle as well as one minor burn," a spokesman added.
'Loud bangs'Public Health England in the West Midlands said smoke from any source could contain substances to irritate breathing, skin or eyes.
"Respiratory symptoms may include coughing and wheezing, breathlessness, sputum (phlegm) production and chest pain," a spokesman said.
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Area commander Steve Vincent said there were reports the smoke was visible 50 miles away
"People with asthma and other respiratory conditions may be particularly susceptible to the smoke and should carry and use their medication (such as inhalers) as usual."
Witness Jack Awal said he could see the fire from his home two miles away in Handsworth.
He said: "I heard a loud bang and went outside to see what it was.
"I immediately recognised where the smoke was coming from. I knew it had to be a factory.
"It was like a scene from a movie. There were so many large explosions and loud bangs. It was like a firework display - there were loud crackles and bangs every few seconds."
No-one from Jayplas was available for immediate comment.
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