Anger as yet another arson attack wastes 999 workers' time at derelict Wigan mill
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Young intruders at the Pagefield Buildings on Kenyon Road, Swinley, have been blamed for the latest blaze which saw three fire engines tackling smoke and flames which could be seen billowing from the roof.
Locals rang 999 at around 4.45pm on Sunday September 26 to report that the eyesore vandal magnet was on fire for the umpteenth time.
This time it had been lit on the third floor.
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Hide AdCrew managers have complained previously about the dangers firefighters are facing in putting out these blazes which have been dogging the abandoned premises for years.
Wigan Council has been trying to get the overseas owners either to renovate, demolish or tighten security further at the site, but to no avail.
One firefighter said: “It really is ridiculous the amount of time our crews have spent at this building over the years.
"Each time we are here there is a danger of our being later for another emergency elsewhere.
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Hide Ad"Then there is the sheer cost of tackling these fires and the dangers that staff are put in each time they have to enter the premises.”
Local councillors have said it’s time now for the mill to be razed.
And at least some residents agree.
One told Wigan Today: “Pagefield Mill was an impressive building steeped in history, but if nothing positive is ever going to be done with it, it’s about time it went.
"These break-ins and fires are turning it ever more ugly and dangerous. It is only a matter of time before someone dies in there.”