Smell of 'dirty carpets' mixed with 'flood water' forced hostel evacuation
The smell of 'dirty carpets' mixed with 'stagnant flood water' forced the evacuation of a hostel near Snow Hill railway station.
Around 35 people had to be evacuated from the hostel run by housing association Midland Heart in Birmingham city centre.
Ten people were cared for by ambulance staff after being taken ill at the four-storey hostel in William Booth Lane, off B4100 Old Snow Hill.
Emergency services were called to the building at around 3.30pm on Wednesday and headed for the second floor.
Initially a man and a woman reported feeling unwell and were 'coughing' said West Midlands Fire Service.
Three fire crews from Aston, Ladywood and Highgate stations attended alongside ambulance crews including the hazardous area response team.
West Midlands Police officers were also sent to the building following a 999 call.
West Midlands Fire Service spokesman Matthew Smith said: "One man and one woman were affected by a substance on the second floor.
"The smell of mixed cleaning solutions, dirty carpets and a flooding incident contributed."
In total six women and four men were assessed by ambulance staff
West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Murray MacGregor said: "An assessment was carried out and the smell was found to come from stagnant water which was not harmful."
Of the 10 cared for, one person was taken to hospital for treatment for an unrelated matter.
David Taylor, executive director of operations at Midland Heart, said: "Following a precautionary evacuation of the building everyone was safe and accounted for.
"The fire service completed their investigations quickly and our residents were able to return to their homes on Wednesday night.
“This was contained to a single living space where a resident had accidentally flooded their room earlier in the day.
"A combination of damp carpet and cleaning materials had created an unpleasant odour.”
Railway and West Midlands Metro services were unaffected.
