FIRE crews spent hours tackling a major fire involving about 20 tonnes of tyres near to a mill.

Forty-five firefighters were drafted in to assist with the fire at Campbell Street in Farnworth.

The blaze started at 3.30am on Saturday morning and continued late into the afternoon. Firefighters remained on scene for most of the day.

Water damage was caused to items in nearby business Artisan Furnishings.

Investigations were being carried out today but the cause is not yet known.

Station manager Ben Levy, who was part of the incident command team, said: “We have had eight appliances down at Campbell Street with an aerial appliance. The main priority has been about protecting the mill. Firefighters got the main seats of fire under control. There was a lot of tyres, possibly 15 to 20 tonnes of tyres.

“The crews worked very hard in difficult conditions due to the thick smoke.”

Alarm was raised by residents who saw the smoke.

Firefighter Levy said the fire spread to a nearby single storey soft furnishing business. The business suffered some water damage but sprinklers inside the building helped prevent the fire from spreading.

The fire service advised people to keep windows and doors shut due to the smoke, but the fumes were not said to be harmful.

The smoke from the scene could be seen miles from the site.

Cllr Asif Ibrahim, for Farnworth, who lives near to where the fire took place, said: “The firefighters have done a sterling job. Properties that back onto the street have had a little bit of fire damage because of the proximity of the hear. I first saw smoke from the bedroom window and it was quite visible, some of the flames early on were quite high. Fortunately it’s an absolute blessing that somebody wasn’t injured.”

A police spokesman said officers assisted with traffic diversions.