Firefighters urge people to be safe after busy weekend

Fire crews are urging people to be safe after a busy weekend saw crews tackling incidents including moorland fires, a blaze involving 200 tonnes of paper and an incident where firefighters rescued two dogs, a canary, a hamster and a tortoise.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's firefighters attended hundreds of incidents across the region on Friday night, as well as Saturday and Sunday. 

With the warm weather expected to last another few days, the public are being urged to stay safe - especially if having a barbecue, enjoying the countryside or on the moors.

Incidents attended included a large industrial fire on Friday night (May 29) in Kirklees Industrial Estate in Aspull, which involved around 200 tonnes of paper. At the peak of the fire, seven fire engines were on the scene, with firefighters not leaving until Sunday morning (May 31). 

A number of crews from Greater Manchester also spent the weekend assisting colleagues from neighbouring Derbyshire and Lancashire fire services to tackle a large moor fire on Darwen Moor.

In total, from Friday to Sunday, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service say they attended 453 incidents including false alarms.

Firefighters tackled a range of other incidents, including kitchen fires, rubbish fires and road traffic collisions.

One incident saw firefighters extinguish a house fire on St Paul’s Close in Stalybridge. GMFRS received a call at around 3pm on Sunday afternoon and two fire engines from Ashton and Stalybridge, as well as the technical response unit from Ashton-Under-Lyne, attended.

The fire involved a record player in a kitchen and is believed to have been caused by the plug overheating. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued two dogs, a canary, a hamster and a tortoise and used one hose reel and a positive pressure ventilation fan to tackle the fire. Crews were on the scene for around 25 minutes.

Group Manager Steve Jordan said: "I would like to start by thanking all of our firefighters, staff and colleagues from North West Fire Control for their hard work this weekend.

"With the hot weather set to continue for a couple of days yet, we are urging people to make sure they are being safe. We know people are looking forward to seeing their loved ones from today but please, if you decide to have a barbecue, do not use them on moorland or balconies, never leave it unattended, concentrate on what you are doing and keep a bucket of water nearby in case of emergencies.

"Our crews are continuing to assist colleagues from Lancashire with a large moor fire on Darwen Moor near Bolton today. This incident shows just how easily a fire can start on the moors or in the countryside so please, if you are out walking be extremely careful. Our message could not be simpler – do not have barbecues on the moors and never start campfires as these can spread incredibly quickly, with devastating results.

"While we are dealing with large incidents such as this one, our crews are still needed to deal with a range of other incidents across Greater Manchester, so please while you are at home, be safe, especially in the kitchen and take time to read all of our safety information to keep yourself and your family safe." 

A Public Space Protection Order is in place in parts of Tameside and Oldham so people caught lighting barbecues and fires, as well as setting off fireworks and sky lanterns, will be fined £100. Failure to pay could result in prosecution through the courts.

More safety information can be found on the GMFRS website by clicking here. 

Main image:

Firefighters at the scene of the paper fire in Aspull.