Tragic Birmingham building fire victim named as cause of blaze remains unknown

A man found dead inside a burning building in Handsworth has been officially named for the first time. West Midlands Fire Service crews sadly discovered a body and led four people to safety down a ladder when flames engulfed at a derelict premises at the junction of Villa Road and Soho Hill, last December.

The man has been named as Hardip Singh Sarai by Birmingham and Solihull Coroners' Court. An inquest into the 41-year-old's death revealed he was born in India and was a factory worker in the West Midlands.

He died from the effects of fire and mixed drug intoxication. Recording Mr Singh's death, Area Coroner Emma Brown said: "West Midlands Fire Service were called to 226-232 Soho Hill, Hockley, Birmingham, to reports of a fire at a derelict building on December 19, 2023.

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"The fire was extensive and it was only after the fire had been extinguished that Mr Singh was sadly found deceased in the building. The property was being used regularly by rough sleepers and as a result monthly checks were being undertaken which revealed that a significant amount of rubbish and excrement had built up.

"The cause of the fire could not be established due to the destruction of the building by fire and lack of witnesses however there is no evidence it was deliberately caused."

Those rescued were said to have left the area shortly afterwards. It was the fourth significant blaze at the site that year, with each incident requiring a significant response from West Midlands Fire Service and a raft other agencies.

The sprawling grounds have since been secured. Councillor Waseem Zaffar sought to reassure residents concerned about the development by saying informal talks have been going on behind-the-scenes.

Councillor Zaffar said: "I'm working with the local community, council and the owner of the site to bring forward plans that allow a development. The developer has had proposals forward to the council informally.

"The plans are for homes, apartments, care homes and a few commercial units. It's a conservation site. It's not moving as fast as we want it to be but we have had progress in six months. I'm very clear that whatever development takes places benefits the community."

He also stressed it is a designated conservation area and no plans have been submitted yet.