A derelict mill in a Tameside beauty spot has been reduced to rubble after a fire which is being treated as deliberate.
As many as six fire engines were sent out to the disused building off Grove Road, in Millbrook, before 4.40am on Thursday (April 15) as the fire was at its peak.
Smoke billowed over Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Ashton-under-Lyne, while neighbours in Millbrook were warned to keep their windows and doors closed.
After 10am work began to pull the disused mill down. After five hours, the building had been demolished.
Wayne Morris, a resident living close to the former mill, told the Manchester Evening News : "Around 5am I got woken up by a popping, banging sound, which turned out to be the fire.
"It's not really known for vandalism there - in fact I was saying to my wife just yesterday that I was surprised it had not been."
The three-storey mill, which has stood derelict for more than 20 years, was already well alight by the time fire crews arrived on the scene.
The mill is believed to have been used by a rubber manufacturer before it closed.
"The first thing I knew about it was the police car parked up outside," said neighbour Martin Harvey.
"It's a derelict old building - as far as I can remember it has been derelict for years and years, and it's properly boarded up."
Water had been pumped from the nearby Huddersfield Narrow Canal to help bring the fire under control, with crews using ground monitors and aerial platforms to help them tackle the fire.
A cordon was put in place throughout the morning, blocking access to the mill from Grove Road.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I've been out for my Covid vaccine and it was all blocked off at 9.30am, I didn't know what had happened though.
"There was a helicopter out this morning which my son heard."
Firefighters remained on the scene until later this afternoon while demolition work took place and to check for any pockets of fire in the 40sq m building.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, with Greater Manchester Police treating the blaze as arson.
A GMP spokesperson said: "At around 5am this morning, police were called to reports of a fire at a derelict mill on Grove Road in Millbrook.
"Emergency services attended and a joint investigation is ongoing with the fire service to establish the full circumstances of the fire which is currently being treated as arson.
"There are no injuries and no arrests have been made."
Anyone with information about the fire is urged to contact police on 0161 856 9216, quoting incident number 357 of April 15.
Alternatively, reports can be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
