Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
Mostly cloudyNews
| 
Submit Comments
Watch video (1 clips)
Hundreds flee homes to escape mill inferno
12/ 4/2007
Police organised a mass evacuation of homes surrounding Victory Mill - between Moor Street and Rose Hill Street - after fire crews discovered a large acetylene cylinder in part of the burning building.
Around 90 of the people, who had just minutes to grab their belongings and leave, spent the night at Heywood Civic Centre where a wartime-style emergency centre was quickly set up.
By today (Thursday), most had been allowed home, and police were in the process of finally reopening the roads surrounding Victory Mill.
Heywood's fire brigade watch commander John Wilkinson said: "There was no alternative but to order an evacuation because if the cylinder had gone up the consequences could have been devastating.
"Over the years, a lot of firefighters have lost their lives when these cylinders have exploded. They are so unpredictable."
More than 20 firefighters fought the blaze, which was in a single-storey former weaving shed next to the main part of the multi-storey Victory Mill.
Timber and other flammable materials were stored inside.
A 200-metre exclusion zone was set up all round the site and police manned road blocks throughout the night and on Wednesday.
Traffic was banned from a long length of Bury New Road, where diversions were in place.
Among streets where houses were evacuated were Moor Street, Rose Hill Street, Bury Street and Regent Street.
Mr Wilkinson said: "We have an officer monitoring the situation and people will be allowed back to their homes as soon as possible.
"But it could take more than 24 hours for the cylinder to cool enough for it to be declared safe."
It was one of two serious mill fires within half an hour on Wednesday morning.
Crews from Rochdale fought a blaze at the Burns Mill in Manchester Street, which has recently been vacated by Industrial Latex Compounds.
The cause of both mill fires is still being investigated.
Click on the link below for Channel M's video report ...
Got an opinion you want to share?Should the Government provide NHS trusts with more funding to fight MRSA in hospitals?
| Card | BT Fee |
| Capital One BT Exclusive | 3.0% |
| Virgin Credit Card | 2.98% |
| Barclaycard Platinum 'As on TV' | 2.9% |
| Capital One Platinum | 3.0% |
| Barclaycard OnePulse For London | 2.9% |
| Company | Typical APR |
| FirstPlus Exclusive Rate | 6.6% |
| Moneyback Bank | 7.6% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 7.7% |
| Halifax (Semi-exclusive) | 7.7% |
| Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) | 7.7% |
| Barclays | 8.9% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
ICICI BANK HiSAVE Fixed Rate Account |
7.20% |