Huge fire in borough field sparks major emergency services operation

A total of 10 fire engines and specialist appliances were at the scene in a field near Hooten Lane late on Sunday night.

Crews were still at the scene on Monday morning, having worked throughout the night to extinguish the flames.

The incident released a huge plume of acrid black smoke into the air which led to the fire service warning residents in the area to keep their doors and windows shut and to stay away from the area.

Residents were thanked for their cooperation during the firefighting incident.

Station Manager Robert McDonagh, who is now in charge at the incident, said on Monday morning: “Our crews have been here working in freezing temperatures right throughout the night, and I cannot praise them enough for their professionalism and determination.

“Thanks to their outstanding work, alongside colleagues from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, I’m pleased to say that we’ve made good progress in extinguishing this fire.

"We’ve reduced the number of appliances in attendance to eight, and our crews are using several handheld jets and a high-volume pump to tackle the flames in two sectors.

"We’re also liaising with Wigan Council and their gritting fleet to ensure surrounding roads remain accessible in these icy conditions.

“We expect to scale back further once further progress is made, but for the time being this remains a sizeable incident and members of the public should continue to avoid the area while emergency services are in attendance.

“We’re very grateful to local residents for their understanding and support throughout this incident, which has been made all the more challenging by the snow and very cold conditions.

"We are conscious that a number of residents’ driveways have been blocked by our hoses and other equipment, and we want to reassure them that we are working hard to resolve this and remove our equipment as soon as possible.

“The smoke plume at the scene has decreased in size, but we must still ask people to keep all windows and doors closed wherever possible.”

Area manager Ben Levy said: "I'd like to personally thank fire crews who have ended their Christmas working tirelessly in arduous conditions including rain, mud and snow, to ensure the impact of this incident is as minimal as possible for local residents."

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) also attended the fire.

Crews from Atherton, Farnworth, Eccles, Hindley and Stockport fire stations, as well as the technical response unit from Leigh and a hose-laying lorry from Bolton North, were all called to the field at around 8.20pm on Sunday.

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