The evening sky at St Helens was lit red yesterday as a dramatic fire ravaged a warehouse in the Merseyside town.
Crews from the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service arrived on the scene at 8.15pm last night, Sunday, June 26, as a huge fire tore through a large single storey warehouse on Manor Street, St Helens. Four fire engines and an aerial appliance then began fighting the blaze, which had engulfed the 20 by 30 metre building, with a main branch hose.
Fire crews used compressed air foam to protect neighbouring buildings. Soon a total of seven fire engines were on scene to tackle the blaze.
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The fire crews, wearing breathing apparatus, continued to fight the blaze into the night. At 12.30pm, they were "dampening down" the scene, a process used to remove any potential of the fire becoming alight once more.
The aerial appliance (a cross between a cherry picker and a fire engine) was no longer required by 3.30am. However, crews continued to dampen down the area further into the morning, using high pressure hoses.
Road closures remained in place on Manor Street and the adjacent Jackson Street until this afternoon, with people being told to avoid the area. Fire crews advised anyone with pre-existing medical conditions to keep treatment nearby and, if any ill effects were experienced, to dial NHS 111.
Photos taken today showed the extent of the damage. The roof of the warehouse was decimated and various parts of the building left burnt and bare, with debris spilling out onto Manor Street.
Video footage of the wreckage can be found here, with some small damage to neighbouring buildings visible in the photos.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue confirmed they left the scene at Midday today.
The ECHO understands the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
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