Bolton Central Fire Station celebrates 50th anniversary

The Moor Lane station has been running for 50 years after opening for operation on April 23, 1971.

During that time, there have been blazes that have stuck in the memories of firefighters working from there, including The Cube fire and Winter Hill wildfires in recent years.

Fire station manager Andy Hardman joined the service aged 28 in 1992, where he worked out of Bolton Central, and has been based at several stations since before returning to watch manager in 2007 and being promoted to his current role.

A page of the Bolton Evening News' millennium edition honouring the work of the fire service in the borough

He said: "It is a landmark for the building to be open for 50 years.

"The station used to be on Marsden Road before it moved.

"Bolton still had its own fire brigade before it was changed in 1974 and went under Greater Manchester.

"There have been some really notable incidents over the years, some that have even changed legislation, notably the Top Storey Club fire.

"More recently, crews from have attended major incidents on the moors and The Cube fire in 2018 where luckily, due to heroic actions of crews, no lives were lost.

"Not every turnout from the station is a major incident but they range from everything you can imagine – from a bleeping smoke alarm to a scene of devastation where lives are lost and families torn apart forever.

The station not long after it opened

"People ask me 'what is the biggest fire that you have been on?', which is really difficult to answer.

"I have been on moorland fires day after day for weeks as in summer 2018 or I have been to a house fire in November 1993 at Torrisdale Close in Deane where a pregnant mother, father and child all died in a bedroom fire.

"There has been a massive amount of change, some for better and some for worse.

"The equipment and training is better but being a firefighter is still a dangerous job."

The station has two fire engines, a hydraulic platform, which can be used for rescues from height and act as a water tower, as well as a high volume pump.

Andy added: "I think being a firefighter is the best job in the world.

"Every day there is a different job to go to."