A MASSIVE fire has ripped through a waste facility in Oldham and forced a building involved to be demolished.

Just before 8pm on Thursday, June 24 fire crews rushed to a huge blaze at a waste handling facility, on Mossdown Road in Royton after receiving several 999 calls.

More than 50 firefighters battled to bring the fire under control which spread to a neighbouring commercial unit and spanned an area of 100 meters by 100 meters.

The firefighters were joined by 10 fire engines from across Greater Manchester, plus the aerial appliance, command unit, and a special hose-laying appliance.

At 10 am on Friday, June 25 it was announced that the building involved in the fire had been found "structurally unsafe" by the local authority dangerous building inspector and needed to be demolished immediately.

A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "Firefighters have been battling this fire in Oldham through the night and this morning six fire engines, the aerial appliance, and the command unit remain at the scene. This is a complex and challenging incident.

"The building involved has been inspected by the local authority dangerous building inspector and found to be structurally unsafe so will need to be demolished immediately before crews can work in the vicinity of it. A demolition plan has been put in place and this will be carried out imminently.

"We expect to remain in attendance at this incident for the rest of the day at least.There is still a lot of smoke in the area so local people are urged to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed."

The fire service ran high-volume hoses down nearby roads in a bid to fight the fire, which caused several road closures from Thursday evening until Friday afternoon.

Higginshaw Lane was forced to close both ways as traffic queued between Salmon Fields and Turf Lane and congestion built to the Duke Of York Pub in Heyside, Royton and delays emerged on Shaw Road.

In an update at 6:45pm on Friday, June 25 a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue spokesman said:"After battling the fire in Royton for over 22 hours, firefighters have now brought the incident under control.

"Through their quick and determined action, crews have managed to scale down the incident extremely quickly, and one fire engine will remain at the scene over the weekend to continue to dampen down the site.

"The fire should no longer have an impact on transport, businesses, or communities in the area."

There are no reported injuries as a result of the fire.