19 Apr 2013
A fire ripped through the heart of an Indian restaurant in Halesowen on Thursday morning.
The West Midlands town was brought to a temporary standstill as police taped off a section of High Street and Queensway and diverted buses away from the town centre.
Shoppers were kept behind a cordon as around 25 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Bangla Lounge on High Street, the Dudley Express & Star reported.
Flames licked through the first floor of the building opposite St John the Baptist Church and burst through the roof.
Fire engines were sprawled across the road as firefighters wearing breathing apparatus attempted to extinguish the flames.
The fire began at 8.18am and station commander Dave James, from West Midlands Fire Service, said it took around 25 minutes to bring under control.
An investigation into the origins of the restaurant blaze is now being carried out by fire specialists.
Copyright Press Association 2013