Police are appealing for information after a fire ripped through a recycling centre in Stalybridge this morning (Saturday). Four fire engines were scrambled to Northend Road in Stalybridge at 8am.
The fire is said to have involved recycling materials containing plastics and computer parts.
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A large amount of smoke could be seen from the blaze. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service advised people in the area to be cautious and to keep windows and doors closed. Detectives have now appealed to the public to come forward with any information.
Appealing to the public for information, GMP today provided brief details of the incident. A GMP spokeswoman said: "At around 8:30am this morning, police received reports of a fire on North End Road in Stalybridge. No injuries reported and no assistance from police was required."
A resident of nearby Staly Hall Road, which overlooks the area where the fire broke out said; “It was the cracking sounds that alerted us. We didn’t hear any sirens. The whole of Ashton smells terrible. A really acrid smell.”
Another resident praised the quick actions of the firefighters saying: “It soon went from thick, black smoke and crackling fire to white.”
One resident described the sounds of the fire as sounding like gunshots. She said: “We could see the dark, black smoke billowing about 8.30am when we got up. We heard crackling and at first I thought it was gunshots. That’s what made me look outside.”
Firefighters used a high hydraulic platform to get close to the fire in order to extinguish the flames from above.
Another neighbour, Holly Jones, took pictures and a short video of the smoke she witnessed from her house, which overlooked the area and described waking up to see the plumes of smoke as “quite frightening.” She says she could hear the fire “crackling.”
A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "At 8am on Saturday 3 September, firefighters were called out to a fire in the yard of a commercial property on Northend Road, Stalybridge. Four fire engines are currently in attendance to tackle the fire, which involves mixed recycling containing plastics and computer parts.
"A large amount of smoke is coming from the fire and we are advising people in the area to be cautious and to keep windows and doors closed. The incident is ongoing."
Firefighters are expected to remain at the scene dampening down the area where the fire broke out until around 6pm Saturday.
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