Fire crews in marathon operation to tackle huge fire in field

The blaze involved approximately 300 tonnes of hay and wood alight in a field off Hooten Lane and measured around 100 square metres.

Emergency services were called at around 8.20pm on December 27 and crews were still dealing with the incident more than 24 hours later.

Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the flames and crews were at the scene all day on Monday.

Crews on Tuesday morning said they had been at the scene overnight.

Firefighters faced the long and painstaking tasks of damping down the massive pile of wood and hay and then ensuring the blaze was fully out and could not restart.

Wendy Grehan, a member of the Aspull Amateur Photographers group, took dramatic pictures of the flames and smoke billowing into the sky on Sunday evening.

She then saw fire crews drawing water from the canal to tackle the still-smouldering blaze on Monday morning.

Her pictures also show emergency services vehicles lined up along Hooten Lane with hoses snaking along the street.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has praised the firefighters for tackling the blaze in conditions which were extremely difficult due to the wintry weather.

No-one was injured and no livestock was affected by the incident.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.

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