Fire service gives update after huge warehouse blaze in Denton

An investigation into how the huge blaze at a three-storey warehouse in Denton started is still ongoing, the fire service has said. 

The fire at the Self Storage Tameside facility on Holland Street broke out on the afternoon of Sunday 21 February and quickly spread through units, causing significant damage. 

Residents in nearby properties had to be evacuated and a major incident was declared by Greater Manchester Police, as around 150 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak and worked tirelessly into the night to bring it under control. 

Nobody is thought to have been injured, but many people have told their devastating stories of how all of their belongings were destroyed in the fire and some had no insurance, while people in the local community have generously rallied around to offer help and support. 

The demolition of the affected building is under way and a clean-up operation is still under way, with the hope that some items can still be salvaged and people will soon be able to access their belongings. 

A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “The investigation to establish the cause of the warehouse fire in Denton last month is ongoing.

“As a consequence of extensive damage to the building, parts of the site are being demolished under supervision to enable investigators to access the area from which the fire is believed to have originated. That demolition and the inspection work continues this week.”

WATCH: Emergency services responding to the serious blaze on 21 February, video by Nigel Wood

Self Storage Tameside had to apologise for the wording of their original email to customers, which many had complained about being "impersonal". 

They say they are continuing to deal with the aftermath of the blaze and contact customers about accessing their belongings. 

In their latest update on 10 March, they said: "We would like to thank our customers for your continued patience and understanding as we continue to deal with the aftermath of the fire at our site.

"The demolition of the affected building is now underway. Once again we would like to reiterate that this is a progressive clean up as instructed by the fire authorities and any items that are salvageable will be pulled to one side where possible.

"The building that houses R, M and Q units is still largely inaccessible to our team but we are working hard to enable access to this building for our customers. At present, due to health and safety concerns, this is not yet possible. As we slowly gain access for our staff we will be contacting customers with an update on their unit condition and where necessary, requesting permission to check inside the unit and advise accordingly as a large number of units in this building remain undamaged aside from some minor dust from the fire.

"We have also been contacting customers located in other areas of the site to arrange an appointment to view their unit. To book an appointment to view your unit please call us on 0161 304 5695 or email us at sales@selfstoragetameside.co.uk. Once these customers have had their initial visit they are then permitted to access the site anytime during our current working hours (Monday – Saturday 9.30am to 4.30pm).

"The units we are currently accepting customers in for are: A, B, BU, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, P, N, S, X, Crates & Lockers. 

"Once again we would like to apologise for the inconvenience this has caused for everyone. Please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to ensure you can access your belongings as soon as possible." 

WATCH: Drone footage of the warehouse fire aftermath, taken on Monday 22 February, by Mike Holt 

Main image:

Emergency services responding to the serious blaze in Denton last month. Picture: Nigel Wood. 

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