19 Feb 2013
Local residents were told to close their windows and doors when a fire broke out at a former asbestos factory in Greater Manchester, early on Friday morning.
It took some 50 firefighters several hours to put out the blaze, which started at the three-storey building in Rochdale at around 02.45 GMT on February 15.
Fire crews from Rochdale, Littleborough, Heywood and Bury were sent to the scene.
Specialist appliances and support crews from Philips Park, Hyde and Stalybridge were also used, along with an aerial appliance from Oldham.
Due to the hazardous material present specialist fire safety officers were also sent to the site. Nobody was injured in the incident, but because of the large volumes of smoke emitted local residents were told to close their windows and doors.
Several hours after the fire was extinguished investigations were underway and road closures were still in place around the site.
Copyright Press Association 2013