Mill Fire - Morton Street, Failsworth

1pm update

Thanks to the swift actions of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) crews, the incident on Morton Street has scaled back to four fire engines and two aerial appliances.

Fresh crews have now arrived on the scene to relieve firefighters who have been working hard throughout the morning to tackle the blaze. Firefighters are now damping down the building in two sectors using the aerial appliances.

Oldham Road remains closed to traffic and Metrolink services on the Rochdale line are currently suspended. Please visit Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) (link opens in a new tab) for travel updates.

A number of nearby properties are still without electricity. Engineers from Electricity North West are working hard to reinstate power as soon as possible. Please visit Electricity North West (link opens in a new tab) for further updates.

8:30am update

Firefighters are currently tackling a fire at a mill on Morton Street in Failsworth.

Crews were first called to the scene at 5:22am and there are currently eight fire engines, two aerial appliances and a hose layer in attendance.

Firefighters are tackling the 50 metre by 50 metre incident in five sectors, using jets on the ground and aerial appliances to put out the flames from above.

Electricity to a number of local properties has been affected, with some home and businesses currently without power. If you are affected, please contact Electricity North West (link opens in a new tab) for more information.

Residents are being asked to avoid the area and A62 Oldham Road is closed in both directions between Broadway and Droylsden Road.

Group Manager Steve Jordan said: “I want to praise the work of our firefighters who are working extremely hard to extinguish this fire and are expected to remain at this incident for a number of hours.

“We are working closely with a number of partners and I’d also like to thank them for their hard work in supporting GMFRS.

“I want to reassure local people that although there is a lot of smoke in the area and we are asking nearby residents to keep windows and doors closed, we are continuing to do everything we can to bring this fire fully under control.”

29/03/2020 08:23 AM