Birmingham 5G mast goes up in flames in 'likely' arson attack

(Image credit: Future)

Just days after people discussed the potential connection between 5G towers and coronavirus on a local Facebook group, firefighters and police were called out to a mast fire in the Tyseley area of Birmingham last night.

The flaming 70ft mast, believed to be operated by EE, was captured on video by local residents, as firefighters attempted to put out the blaze, which – according to onlookers – was “well alight” when they reached the scene.

A spokesperson for EE told 5Gradar that engineers are currently at the site assessing the cause of the fire.

"If it transpires that it was arson, which looks likely at this time, then we will work to help West Midlands police identify a culprit," an EE spokesperson told us. "To deliberately take away mobile connectivity at a time when people need more than ever to stay connected to each other, is a reckless, harmful and dangerous thing to do. We will try to restore full coverage as quickly as possible, but the damage caused by the fire is significant.”

[CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH PHONE FOOTAGE]

[CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH PHONE FOOTAGE] (Image credit: n/a)

Earlier this week, local people had discussed the potential connection between Covid-19 and 5G, and others had publicised the ongoing petition to halt the roll-out of 5G technology.

One commenter in the Sparkhill Neighbourhood group on Facebook had posted about the alleged connection between coronavirus and 5G:

“Has anyone noticed these lamposts being put up all around Sparkhill and Small Heath? They have a 5G antenna at the top. They recently have been turned on and send out immense amount of radiation. There is definitely a strong link between the "coronavirus" and 5G.”

Another commenter on the group, in response to a warning to stay at home during coronavirus said:

“As we are all locked up at our comfort homes, did you realise 5G have been busy in UK putting up there (sic) towers. Something to think about. The whole world was against 5G. And here we have it.”

Conspiracy theories

However, as we have repeatedly reported on 5Gradar, there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that 5G causes any adverse health issues, and in March 2020 it was announced that the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) had formally deemed 5G to be safe as a result of extensive research, saying there is “no evidence” 5G networks have the potential to cause cancer or other illnesses. 

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, this is not the first time a 5G mast has suffered fire damage in the UK, but at a time when the UK population is under lockdown, mobile connections have never been more important, which would make an arson attack doubly baffling.

In a response to 5Gradar, West Midlands Police said:

“We are aware of a fire on Spring Road just after 8.30pm last night. It was assessed by fire and we’re waiting for an engineer to determine how the fire may have started (it could be an electrical issue etc), therefore it is not being investigated by police until we get further info.”


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(Image credit: Future)
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.