Erdington Lad in the Lane pub fire cause revealed

A blaze which broke out at one of Birmingham's oldest pubs was started "deliberately", according to the fire service. The arson attack happened at The Lad in the Lane pub, which closed its doors in 2019, at around 11.45pm on Wednesday, November 6.

Around 30 firefighters rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze at the 14th century pub, based in Bromford Lane. The fire was extinguished within two hours and no injures were reported.

West Midlands Fire Service told BirminghamLive this morning that there were two "separate" fires started "deliberately". A spokesperson said the fire service had "no other details" on the investigation at this stage.

READ MORE: First pictures show sad state of Lad in the Lane pub after Erdington fire

West Midlands Police said officers were called to the scene to deal with "traffic management". We have asked the force if an investigation is underway into the cause of the fire.

The Lad in the Lane didn't appear to be seriously damaged from the outside when we visited the site yesterday morning. On the blaze, a West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said: "Shortly before 11.45pm on Wednesday, we responded to Bromford Lane, Erdington.

"Five fire engines and two 4×4 brigade response vehicles responded, crewed by around 30 firefighters from Erdington, Ward End, Perry Barr, Aston and Sheldon fire stations. The first crew reached the scene within two minutes of being mobilised.

"This was a fire on the first floor of a void pub. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished two fires, believed to have been started deliberately, with two hose reels. There were no casualties or injuries.

"Gas and electricity was isolated. Police colleagues were in attendance to assist with managing a cordon. We left this scene shortly before 1.55am, after securing the gates to the property."