Firefighters battle blaze at borough farmhouse for several hours

Four fire engines were called to the incident off Engine Lane in Tyldesley at around 5pm on Saturday.

Smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from a few miles away.

Steve Green, crew manager at Atherton fire station, said: "We had to go down a track that led to the farm.

"The fire has ripped through half of the first floor and the roof space.

"We were there for a good couple of two to three hours before the night crew took over for an hour.

"Crews had to pump lots of water from the nearby lake which we used to put out the fire."

At this stage the cause of the fire is unknown but it is suspected to be arson.

Mr Green said: "You could see lots of smoke from a few miles away.

"The roof of the farmhouse is now gutted as is half the first floor but we managed to contain the fire to that section of the building.

"We haven't established a cause but suspect it was deliberate."

Nobody was hurt during the incident.