Aerial photographs have shown the full extent of the damage caused by a fire at the oldest mill in Middleton.
Fire crews were called to a blaze at a commercial building on Townley Street near the town centre at around 8.45pm on Thursday evening.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said flames had already engulfed all three floors of the building by the time they had arrived.
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The fire started at a back mill building behind the main Lodge Mill site.
Couple Martin Cove and Paula Hickey, who bought the front Lodge Mill premises in April 2019, said they have been left devastated by the fire.
“We’re just really sad that a huge part of Middleton’s history has now been lost,” Martin told the M.E.N this morning.
“It’s certainly not really the way you want to end the year.”
Their front building has been left mostly unscathed from the fire although it is expected to have suffered some water and fire damage.
“The most important thing is that nobody has been hurt,” he added.
“The rest, for us, is largely cosmetic and I'm sure we’ll be able to sort it out.”
Aerial images taken by photographer Skytrip show the extent of the damage caused to the back mill building.
The photographs show extensive damage to the mill’s roof, which has partially collapsed.
The fire has also destroyed the inside of the mill building.
Eight engines attended the scene on Thursday evening, with fire crews able to contain the fire by midnight.
Emergency services closed off Townley Street until shortly after 10am on Friday morning.
In an update this morning, a GMFRS spokesperson said: “Crews have continued to make good progress overnight and, as a result, have scaled back our presence at this incident.
“An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire.”
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