Crews with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service rushed to a scene in Radcliffe, where a derelict building caught alight and residents heard large explosions
Fire crews dealt with a serious blaze for hours last night — and urged residents to avoid the area and close their windows.
In full, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) explained it sent eight fire engines and three specialist appliances from across the county to reports of a fire in Radcliffe. The blaze broke out at a derelict building on Milltown Street beside the River Irwell in the town north of Manchester at around 7pm.
The force’s statement in full reads: “At around 7.15pm today (Tuesday 21 April), eight fire engines and three specialist appliances from across Greater Manchester were called to a building fire on Milltown Street, Radcliffe. Crews arrived quickly and are using jets and turntable ladders to extinguish the fire. Residents are asked to avoid the area and close their windows and doors if they live nearby.”
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Speaking earlier last night, the GMFRS had said: “The fire is generating a large plume of smoke so please avoid the area and close your windows and doors if you live nearby.” The smoke was seen as far as Bolton in the west and parts of Manchester itself in the south.
Firefighters spent hours tackling the blaze, where they set up a large cordon. Traffic was diverted away from Milltown Street, which connects an industrial area with part of the town centre. Last September, emergency crews raced to the same street following reports of a fire at a derelict mill. In 2022, a large fire broke out at a plastic storage unit on the street too.
But the latest blaze saw swift action by GMFRS, which deployed three specialist appliances as well as eight fire engines. Crews used water from the nearby River Irwell to help tackle the blaze. The river meanders south from the town to form part of the Manchester Ship Canal.
An earlier statement from the GMFRS read: “The fire is generating a large plume of smoke so please avoid the area and close your windows and doors if you live nearby.”
Images from the scene showed a huge fireball surrounded by a plume of thick smoke, with a hose seen pointing towards the structure on Milltown Street. Locals told Manchester Evening News they heard a “really large explosion”. Others echoed that with messages on social media, such as Facebook, last night.
But the cause of the fire remains under investigation. It is thought no one was hurt in last night’s fire, which follows a blaze which gutted a pub in Bromley, southeast London on the weekend.
