Firefighters continue to tackle devastating blaze at Oldham waste plant

Firefighters are still tackling last night’s blaze at an Oldham waste plant in a situation they have called ‘challenging.’

Just before 8pm last night, crews were called out to the Heyside area of Royton where they were met by a colossal blaze at a waste facility off Mossdown Road in the area.

Ten fire engines from across Greater Manchester were dispatched to the scene, and over fifty firefighters have worked tirelessly throughout the night in an attempt to put out the fire.

In an initial statement, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue said: “The area of the fire spans 100m x 100m and the material burning is dirty, so we are asking everyone in the local area to stay away from the incident and keep doors and windows closed.

“Additionally, we are having to run high-volume hoses down some roads so expect traffic disruption and road closures as we fight this fire into the evening.”

GMFRS shared an update this morning, where they revealed that the fire was still in the process of being put out.

In a new statement, they said: “The building involved has been inspected by the local authority dangerous building inspector and found to be structurally unsafe so will need to be demolished before crews can work in the vicinity of it.

“A demolition plan has been put in place and this will be carried out imminently. We expect to remain in attendance at this incident for the rest of the day at least.

“There is still a lot of smoke in the area so local people are urged to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed.”

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined – there are no current injuries to report.