AN investigation is underway into the cause of a fire which destroyed dozens of tyres in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters were called to AutoTyres in Farnworth at 4am after the fire took hold of about 50 tyres.

Crews from Farnworth and Bolton central fire station managed to get inside the locked building and tackled the fire quickly.

They stayed on the scene into late morning, dampening down the fire and investigating the cause.

Police were also called after fears the fire could have been started deliberately, but firefighters say that an electrical fault is not being ruled out.

Crew manager Martin Finch, from Farnworth fire station, said: “The tyres were well alight when we arrived.

“We tackled the fire within minutes and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

“CCTV footage from inside and outside will be looked at to help determine the cause of the fire.”

Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to other adjoining premises and the electricity board were called to make the building safe.

Owner of the business, Saeed Khan, said: “I have just got new machinery in, and the damage will cost thousands of pounds.

“I’m not going to give up on the business - I have a strong family behind me and I have to get on with it.”

He added: “The fire has meant that that there is no electricity to the buildings attached because the meters were in this building.”

Employee John Luby added: “I got a phone call in the morning and couldn’t believe it.

“The business has been here a couple of years and we have really started to establish it.

“We had a thousand tyres in the building and we are trying to salvage what we can.

“The building is structurally okay but will have to be stripped and the 50 to 100 tyres alone will cost £1,500 and then we have to look at what other tyres have been damaged in the fire and how many we can keep.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said that the police had been alerted by firefighters and were liaising with the fire service.