The blaze engulfed the wholesale market and created a huge plume of smoke over Birmingham city centre just after 2pm yesterday.
About dozen firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, entered the smoke-filled building to fight the flames in the open plan indoor area.
‘Investigating as arson’
The fire ravaged wooden pallets and stock, including fruit and vegetables, and damaged two of the roughly 80 units on the site in Pershore Street.
This afternoon a spokeswoman at West Midlands Police confirmed that police are “investigating it as arson”.
West Midlands Fire Service sent eight fire engines and about 40 firefighters to the food market yesterday.
The service said: “The operation involved around a dozen firefighters in breathing apparatus entering the building and attacking the fire, preventing its spread to several other units nearby.”