Denton fire: People back home after major warehouse blaze

People told to leave their homes on Sunday afternoon were allowed back in the evening

A huge warehouse fire has been brought under control after firefighters battled the flames for eight hours.

Homes in Denton, Greater Manchester were evacuated and two motorways were closed by the "significant blaze" at the three-storey building.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said the fire at Tameside Self Storage was under control by about 21:30 GMT on Sunday.

People were allowed to return to their homes shortly after.

The warehouse provided individual units for personal storage.

'Devastated'

Its owners said it was believed the fire had "only impacted one of several buildings we have on-site and not the whole facility".

"For those customers affected by this, we will be in touch as soon as we can with an update as and when we get more information," they said in a statement.

They added that people should not to try to enter the site.

People living close to the site were advised to keep windows and doors shut to keep out the smoke

Sarah Ashton, who was storing items in one of the units while waiting to move into a new home, said she fears almost all of her family's belongings have been destroyed.

She said she "had almost everything in there, from my baby's cot to sofas and mattresses", adding: "I'm devastated."

"I didn't take insurance out as it was just a temporary thing and didn't think I needed to.

"I can't afford to replace them all."

'Difficult day'

Firefighters worked through the night to monitor the fire and make sure it was fully extinguished.

At its height about 125 firefighters, 25 engines and three aerial appliances tackled the blaze, which was first reported at 13:15 when plumes of smoke were seen over the M60 and M67.

The blaze close to the M60 and the M67 broke out on Sunday afternoon

The M67 was temporarily shut in both directions between Junction 2 (A57) near Kingston and the M60 at Junction 24 Denton Island.

GMFRS area manager Stewart Forshaw said late on Sunday: "Thanks to the tireless and professional work of our firefighters, we are now in control of this incident.

"I would also like to thank the local community for their support and co-operation on what has been a difficult day.

"Crews will remain at the scene overnight monitoring the incident and extinguishing the pockets of fire that remain."