Oldham mill engulfed by fire

Residents in Oldham are being asked to keep doors and windows closed while Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service tackles a huge fire at Maple Mill on Cardwell Street.

Shortly after 4am this morning, 10 fire engines along with support vehicles including a command support unit, high volume pump and hose layer were called to the incident. The fire is now under control, and around 85 firefighters are on site.

The fire involves a four-storey industrial building, formerly a paper mill. Parts of the structure have collapsed after the whole building was engulfed by the fire.

This short clip shows the scale of the mill fire in #Oldham pic.twitter.com/E72nzB51G9

— Manchester Fire (@manchesterfire) December 15, 2016

Around 100 homes have been evacuated and Oldham Council has opened a rest centre for residents affected at the Honeywell Centre in Hadfield Crescent.

Maple Mill was formerly the headquarters of kitchen retailer Vance Miller. The mill was badly damaged in a fire in September this year, and also suffered an arson attack in 2012.

Warren Pickstone, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service’s area manager said: “Crews are working incredibly hard to tackle this fire, when we arrived we were met with a serious fire on the top floor of the mill.

“We are working hard with our colleagues at the police to protect surrounding properties; about 100 properties in the immediate area have been evacuated.

“Tyres are also involved in the fire so it’s emitting a thick acrid smoke, we are asking nearby residents to please keep their windows and doors closed as the smoke plume travels across Oldham.”

This video shows the scale of devastation. Half way through you can hear part of the building collapsing #oldham #maplemill pic.twitter.com/d41W3Xub4f

— Manchester Fire (@manchesterfire) December 15, 2016