Shocking footage shows the moment that a blaze ripped through a warehouse in Oldham. More than 70 worried residents rang 999 after The Tile Shop caught fire in the early hours of this morning.
In a dramatic video, shared on Twitter at 4am, flames can be seen through the windows of the Bower Street building, while huge clouds of black smoke billow into the sky. By that point, firefighters had been at the scene for almost two hours, having initially been alerted at 2.15am.
Ten fire engines from across Greater Manchester and more than 50 firefighters attended, along with three aerial appliances. It took crews around six hours to get it under control and by 8.30am, they had started dampening down.
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Photographs taken in the aftermath also lay bare the devastating effect of the blaze, which could be seen for miles. The inside of the building, which could be seen through windows, appeared to be gutted.
The roof also looked seriously damaged, the sign had melted away and there were visible scorch marks and fire damage to the outside.
A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesman told the Manchester Evening News that the incident 'doesn't appear to be' arson. M.E.N also contacted The Tile Shop but a spokesman said: "Nobody is available to comment at the moment."
Praising the effort of the fire crews in attendance, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) area manager Ben Levy said: "Our firefighters have worked tirelessly through the night to bring this fire under control and minimise the impact on the local area. In addition to firefighters at the scene, our North West Fire Control operators received almost 70 999 calls from concerned members of the public about what was a significant fire.
"As residents wake up there will be residual smoke in the area. People are advised to take care.
"The fire is now under control but firefighters will remain at the scene until it is fully extinguished. I'd like to thank everyone involved in responding to this incident, both from GMFRS and partners, for their efforts this morning."
