Moment when a large group of men fight in the street and throw FRUITS at each other outside the supermarket as a huge fire breaks out inside and thick black smoke rises into the air
- Video shows men hitting each other and throwing watermelons at each other outside a store
- Police officer can be heard telling people to “back off” as thick smoke fills the air
- Nearly 80 firefighters called to fight fire at Zeenat supermarket in Birmingham
A large group of men threw fruit and brawled in the street as firefighters tried to tackle a large supermarket fire behind them in Birmingham last night.
A shocking video shows the moment a fight broke out in front of the burning Zeenat supermarket at around 6:30pm yesterday.
The video shows the men hitting each other and throwing watermelons at each other, while a police officer is heard yelling at people to “back off” as thick black smoke fills the air.
A woman can also be seen trying to break up the fight while the men continue to fight.
Twelve fire trucks and 79 firefighters were called to fight the fire at the Birmingham supermarket and managed to prevent it from spreading to Thornton Primary School, which is just 500 feet away.
Dramatic drone footage showed the huge fire with smoke rising several hundred feet into the air and residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed, while several nearby roads were closed.
A shocking video shows the moment a fight broke out in front of the burning Zeenat supermarket at around 6:30pm yesterday.
The clip shows the men hitting each other and throwing watermelons at each other, as smoke rises from the roof of the Birmingham supermarket.
After twelve hours, the fire was brought under control, but not before it destroyed the store and spread several stories above the store.
Residents who live nearby say they heard loud explosions as the fire ripped through the supermarket.
One local said: ‘I live around the corner from Zeenat and had been watching the Queen’s funeral all day when I heard several pops and then bangs.
“I ran outside and I could see smoke and flames coming out of the store and soon after there were a lot of sirens.
“It looked very bad and the fire was still growing and fierce.” We were all told to stay inside and I kept the windows closed.
Another said: ‘It was crazy. The firefighters were trying to put out the fire and the boys were kicking each other.
Dramatic drone footage showed the massive fire with smoke rising several hundred feet into the air.
The West Midlands Fire Service said in an update this afternoon that they are satisfied the fire started accidentally.
‘Some of them were smashing watermelons against each other. It was crazy. The police and firemen seemed really scared. She was booting up.
‘At one point I thought the firefighters were just going to hose the crowd away. There were coppers running everywhere.
No one is believed to have been injured and it is unknown if any arrests were made.
West Midlands Police said in a statement to MaikOnline: “We are investigating after a fight broke out at the scene of a fire in Alum Rock Road, Birmingham last night (September 19).
“The investigation is in the early stages, but we believe the fight started due to a cordon at the scene.
‘No one was seriously injured.
‘We are still at the scene of the fire, supporting colleagues from the fire service.
‘Anyone with information can contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101. Give registration number 2909 from 19.09.’
The West Midlands Fire Service said in an update this afternoon: “Our investigators are convinced the fire started accidentally when open burning of rubbish spread into the building.”
