Fire crews have been battling a blaze at a church building in Oldham overnight.
The fire in Glodwick broke out before 9.00pm and roof of the rectory adjoining St Mark with Christ was well alight when crews arrived.
Incident Commander, Station Manager Michael Branney, said: “Our firefighters are working extremely hard and we’re making good, steady progress. We’re using hoses to target specific points of fire while covering jets are keeping the incident under control. It’s particularly useful to be able to aim water down from above via our aerial ladder so you can combat the fire from multiple angles.
“The blaze itself is affecting the disused rectory of the church. It’s a three storey structure and when we first arrived on scene the fire had taken hold of the roof, which measures about 50 meters by 20 meters.
“We will be here into the night, alongside colleagues from Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service. I would like to reassure local people that the incident is under control. I also want to thank them for their co-operation this evening which has enabled us to operate as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Nearby road closures remain in place and, due to the smoke in the air, residents close to the incident are reminded to keep their windows and doors closed.
