Bury fire: Crews tackle blaze 'size of a football pitch'
- Published
Firefighters are tackling a fire "the size of a football pitch" at a landfill site.
The blaze broke out on Sunday night in Bury, Greater Manchester, near the M66 motorway, with the fire service declaring a major incident.
A large plume of smoke from Viridor Recycling Centre in Pilsworth Road could be seen from miles around.
The motorway has been closed at junction three. The fire service said it would "take days to resolve".
Nearby residents have been urged to keep windows and doors closed, the fire service said.
Paul Duggan of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "The smoke plume can be seen for miles around and the easterly wind means it is drifting across the motorway and in the direction of Ainsworth."
While urging caution, he added the smoke "does not pose any significant risk to people's health".
He said conditions were not easy as the surface "around the size of a football pitch" was uneven.
Chief fire officer Dave Russel described the fire as an "incredibly challenging and complex incident on a huge scale", but added crews were "making good progress".
Just left the incident. Really proud of my firefighters and officers - incredibly challenging and complex incident on a huge scale and on the back of a very busy weekend for GMFRS. Its a protracted incident, will take days to resolve however we are making good progress. https://t.co/2j9dOkR2bA
— Dave Russel (@CFODaveRussel) April 26, 2021