A storage facility near Manchester, England that was severely damaged in a large fire earlier this week will be demolished, fire officials have confirmed.
The blaze broke out at the Storage World facility on Old Hall Street in Middleton around 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Crews were on site for three days, working in intense heat to contain the fire, which reportedly involved lithium-ion batteries, according to information obtained by the Manchester Evening News.
The fire response included over six fire engines and an aerial unit. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
On Friday afternoon, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Barry Moore announced that the building would be taken down in a controlled manner to eliminate ongoing risks.
“Crews have been working incredibly hard for long hours in tough conditions to contain this complex fire and reduce any risk to the public,” Moore said. “Due to the nature of the building, and the danger posed by its contents and structure, firefighters have been tackling the fire externally to mitigate any risk to life.”
He added that, in coordination with the property owner and other agencies, the decision was made to begin a gradual demolition so crews could fully extinguish the fire from within.
“We would like to thank local businesses and residents for their understanding while crews have worked to resolve this incident and express our sympathies to anyone who has lost valuable items in this fire,” Moore said.
Storage World issued a public statement on Thursday, confirming the severity of the situation: “Our Middleton store has suffered a serious fire. Authorities are currently in attendance and we will be contacting customers as soon as the situation has settled, and we can assess the damage.
“This will be no later than Friday afternoon. Please do not contact us directly but wait for us to communicate with you, as this will allow us to manage the current situation and ensure all customers are given accurate information as soon as possible.
“We appreciate this will be a stressful and distressing situation for our customers. We are doing everything in our power to assist authorities and provide accurate information as soon as possible.”