FIRE ENGINES CALLED TO BUILE HILL PARK AS YET ANOTHER BUILDING IN THE DEPOT AREA GOES UP IN SMOKE

Fortunately we are happy to report that it was not the historic grade 2 listed mansion house which is situated a few hundred meters to the west.

Once again, arsonists have set another building alight in Buile Hill Park and by our reckoning this latest fire has finally taken out the last one in the depot area which was left standing from previous arson attacks. 

At around 6:30 pm GMFRS were called to reports of a fire at Buile Hill Park, upon arrival it was discovered that a fire had been started in the old union building in the depot area of the park.

The union building has been targeted before (May 2017) but thankfully firefighters were able to prevent the fire spreading to the roof at the time, sadly not the case this time as the building has been gutted by the flames and past of the roof has now collapsed. Firefighters knocked the remaining roof beams into the shell of the building for safety and to allow them access to the fire from above as it was deemed too unsafe to enter.

Three fire apparatus were on hand to dampen the flames and a cordon was put in place by police in order to ensure the safety of the public.

Smoke billowed out of the buildings now collapsed roof and quickly spread around the park with reports that people could smell it as far away as Eccles and Peel Park.

An ambulance was sent to the scene but thankfully it seems that it was not needed as no one was hurt.

It is currently unknown who the culprits are or how the fire started but a witness we spoke to at the scene told us that she had seen a group of teenage children coming from the site shortly before the smoke appeared. They were said to have ran off towards the bottom exit on Weaste Lane, however, unfortunately she was too far away to get a proper look at them.