NEIGHBOURS evacuated themselves and others locked themselves in after warnings about asbestos.

MARY NAYLOR reports on the fire which tore through a warehouse in Little Hulton.

AN ENORMOUS fire brought down the warehouse of a kitchen and bathroom warehouse in Little Hulton.

The blaze started shortly after midnight and neighbours recalled waking up to see it raging behind their homes.

They were told by the emergency services to stay indoors and were warned about the dangers of asbestos spewing from the warehouse.

The fire service launched a massive operation to bring the blaze under control and worked through the night and into lunch time yesterday to bring the fire under control.

Over the course of the night more than a hundred firefighters worked to protect nearby houses and put out the inferno.

READ MORE: Watch asbestos clean up starts after fire at former Lucozade factory

The crews were called to Unit 1 of the Worsley Trading Estate in Lester Road, Little Hulton at around1.30am.

When firefighters arrived, the blaze measured 100m by 100m with the whole roof on fire.

By about 6.30am the fire was surrounded and under control but still remained.

Incident commander Tony Bryan told The Bolton News he expected firefighters would be at the scene for the next 24 to 48 hours.

 

The building, a former Lucozade factory, is a warehouse adjoining offices of bathroom and kitchen supplier PJH Group was around 90 per cent destroyed said Mr Bryan.

READ MORE: Video of warehouse fire as it happened

Mr Bryan said: "Our crews have worked tirelessly through the night to tackle this very challenging incident. Thanks to their hard work the fire is now surrounded and under control.

“There will be an emergency service presence at the scene for some time yet and there will be some disruption, I would like to thank residents for their cooperation. As a result of the fire, some asbestos has been blow on to surfaces in the local area. This is low level asbestos and is nothing to worry about but if you see any please do not touch it."

Members of the public are being urged to stay away from the area, keep their doors and windows shut and avoid touching anything they suspect may be asbestos.

 

Police and the ambulance service also attended the scene. There were no casualties.

Neighbours in Hazel Avenue, off Manchester Road, were worst affected by the fire which back onto the site.

Many of the residents gathered in the street in the early hours and Pat Whitworth, who is in her 70s told The Bolton News her neighbour Chris had woken her up and she had driven away with him and his family to escape the fire.

When asked about the fire Mrs Whitworth said: "I felt it, it was that warm."

She was worried about what she would expect when she returned home but fortunately none of the homes have been affected.

Gillian Halliwell, aged 52, lives in Hazel Avenue, she said her husband woke her at about 12.30am and they got dressed thinking they might have to evacuate.

She said: "The flames were coming up then and it started getting worse and worse."

Mrs Halliwell said the worry among neighbours had been for the houses nearest the fire and some residents moved their cars off their driveways in case a quick getaway was needed.

She added: "It's not the first time I've seen a fire there. Years ago when it was Lucozade ­— it was pretty similar to this but it was more in the day time. I wasn't so old then. It was pretty bad."

Through the night until about 8.30am the A6, Manchester Road was closed from junction four of the M61, causing delays for commuting motorists.

Wharton Primary School, Rothwell Lane was closed yesterday.