A GANG of youths built a bonfire inside a derelict mill.
Firefighters were called to the scene in River Street, in Bolton town centre, this afternoon after passersby saw smoke coming from the building.
The youths are believed to have set fire to a pile of rubbish on the first floor of the mill before fleeing the scene.
Carl Gleaves, crew manager at Bolton Central fire station, said: "They had built a bonfire of sorts on the first floor. It is a secure building, but they scaled the fence to get in.
"Fortunately, there is not much to burn in there. But it was a nightmare for us to get access.
"We had to use our ladders to get in and then to go down through the floors to get to the location of the fire."
Three crews spent around an hour tackling the blaze from 4.30pm.
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