Debris and smoke fill the air during fire at industrial site

Firefighters tackled a large blaze last night as huge bales of paper were set alight spewing debris into the air.
Firefighters were called to the site last nightFirefighters were called to the site last night
Firefighters were called to the site last night

Crews from Leigh and Atherton attended the fire, which was still raging when they arrived at the site in Firsdale Industrial Estate at around 7.40pm.

It is believed that the site, off Nangreaves Road, had been accessed through the fence, and the fire investigation unit is now looking into the cause of the blaze.

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Crew manager, Kieran Reid, said: “Around 40 rolls of paper, the kind used in the food industry, had been set alight. There is a track right behind the site where people can walk. It sent debris everywhere. There were bits of paper flying about.”

Once firefighters arrived the flames had spread to a nearby industrial skip, which was full of cardboard.

Due to the size of the fire, the Leigh crew was forced to call for backup from Atherton. To ensure that the fire was fully extinguished crews needed access to the bottom of the huge pile of burnt paper.

The key holder to the property was called, and he helped crews by using a forklift to sift through the smouldering waste.

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Crew manager Reid added: “I would like to warn people to take care when storing items outside, especially if members of the public have access to it. Please make sure that any items are secure and away from public reach, especially if the material is highly flammable.”

Firefighters spent around two and a half hours at the scene, leaving at around 10pm.

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