Building gutted in large fire at disused stables complex near Wigan

Crews were called to the site on Wigan Road between Hindley and Westhoughton at around 8pm on Monday.

They found a large building, which measured around 10 metres by 30 metres and was used for indoor dressage, well alight.

Smoke billowed into the air from the incident and could be seen across the area.

Firefighters acted quickly to control the fire and managed to prevent the blaze spreading to any of the stables buildings nearby.

However, the building which had caught fire was totally destroyed by the flames.

Crews faced a long and painstaking task to ensure the blaze was completely out.

Watch manager Mark Anderson from Hindley fire station said: "It was a significant fire. There was a considerable amount of smoke which was visible from miles away.

"Fortunately we managed to put water on it and get it under control very quickly, although it took a considerable amount of time to actually extinguish the fire. We managed to stop it spreading to anything else.

"There was sawdust which had somehow become lodged in the rafters. That was difficult to extinguish. We were there a significant amount of time digging out pockets of flame in areas of the structure."

Crews from Hindley, Atherton and Bolton fire stations attended the incident.