A blaze, thought to have been started deliberately by children, was tackled by around 30 firefighters on Tuesday at a former college in Stockport.
Firefighters from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were called to the derelict five-storey building on Houldsworth Street, Reddish at 7.24pm on July 2.
Five fire crews from Whitehill, Gorton and Stockport were at the height of the incident as smoke was billowing from each floor of the building.
Firefighters had to ensure that there was no-one stuck inside the burning building and it is believed that kids were able to start the fire as the building was unsecure.
Station Manager Mark Turner, who was in charge of the incident, said: “There were two main seats of fire on the ground floor and the fire was started deliberately – probably by kids who’d got in because the building was insecure.
“It’s a large building with lots of access to the different floors and there isn’t a lot to set fire to inside but because all the windows were smashed, the smoke was coming out of each floor so it appears at first as if the fire was on every floor.
“Crews from Stockport will be going back to meet the key-holder and work with them and police to help keep the building secure.”
As part of a Safe4Summer campaign, the fire service are working with Greater Manchester Police and ten local authorities across Greater Manchester to help keep people of all ages safe from summer risks.
The campaign involves educating young people about the impact anti-social behaviour can potentially have on the community and the risks associated with starting deliberate fires.
For further information about the campaign click here.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
