Wigan mill blaze: Fire destroys garage, carwash and car repair shop in '40ft flames'

By Phoebe Hurst

Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were called to a mill in Wigan this morning following reports of 40-ft flames coming from the site.

It took over two hours to control the fire at Eckersley Mill on Swan Meadow Road – a single storey mill extension containing three industrial units.

Fire crews from Hindley, Atherton, Leigh and Horwich used jets and water monitors to control the fire.

A garage, carwash and car repair shop contained within Eckersley Mill were destroyed by the fire.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Station Manager Ben Levy said that the crews had worked hard to prevent the fire from spreading to an adjoining three-story mill.

"Six fire engines and an aerial appliance were mobilised to the scene and crews got to work quickly.

Firefighters successfully managed to stop the fire spreading,” he said.

Firefighters encountered additional difficulties due to the discovery of gas cylinders on the site.

A cordon was placed around the area while crews carried out a two-hour cooling down process.

Swan Meadow Road and Pottery Road remained closed until nine o’clock this morning.

Station Manager Levy maintained that crews had done their best to reopen the roads in good time.

He said: "We worked hard to get the roads reopened as quickly as possible and will ensure local businesses can open with as little disruption as possible."

Fire investigators are visiting the site today to try and establish the cause of the fire.

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