More than 30 homes have been evacuated as a vast moorland fire continues to engulf Greater Manchester.
Police have declared the inferno on Saddleworth Moor a "major incident" and the Army have been put on standby after firefighters worked through the night to tame the blaze.
The fire service said at one stage the blaze covered a 6km (3.7 miles) area, with massive plumes of smoke stretching along moorland could be seen in footage and photos.
While the blaze started on Sunday, it was initially brought under control, but was reignited on Monday by the hot weather and then spread throughout the course of Tuesday.
Thirty-four homes in Carrbrook - near Stalybridge - have been evacuated as a precaution but there are no reported injuries.
Tameside Council has announced two school closures on Wednesday - Mossley Hollins High School and Buckton Vale Primary School.
Anthony Leach, who lives in the area, said the smell of smoke was "in every room".
He said: "It's like you could almost smoke mackerel in there”.
Firefighters from Cheshire and Derbyshire have been supporting those from Greater Manchester and a helicopter has been employed over the area of the blaze to drop water onto the fire.
Public Health England has released a warning to any people who may have been affected by smoke and residents have been recommended to close their windows and doors with some streets covered in ash. Asthmatics were advised to stay inside their homes and people were warned to also keep pets indoors as a smoky haze settled above the city.
"Fire crews have been working in tremendously difficult conditions, in the heat and the smoke,” Leon Parkes, assistant chief fire officer for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"We've been working with our partner agencies to deal with the situation. The situation is evolving and last night the decision was made to pull a multi-agency meeting and declare a major incident on the basis that there was partner agency working required.
"A number of actions were put in place, including the evacuation of some nearby houses, because of the spread of the fire."
He said 10 fire engines and 50 firefighters were at the scene and a "plan of attack" was being composed on Wednesday with 6km of affected area and "pockets of fire" on the peripheries.
He added that some of the fire scenes were two miles away from where fire engines could park and other vehicles were being used to get firefighters and kit into those areas.
Firefighter Ricky Case, who has been out on the moors working to tackle the fire, said: "It's just the sheer vastness of it. It's one of the biggest ones I've been on in a long time. The logistics of it all, trying to get water to the locations where we need it."
Reverend Chris Finney has opened the doors of his church, St James' in Millbrook, to anyone who requires support.
He said: "I'm about a mile away from Calico Crescent. I've lived in this area all my life and I think I can say that within my memory - and I'm in my 60s - I've not seen fires on the moors to the extent that we're looking at them at the moment”.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester’s mayor, paid tribute to the firefighters.
On Tuesday evening, people as far as 20 miles away reported being able to smell the smoke, but Greater Manchester fire and rescue service emphasised the fact the smoke was not toxic.
The force said anyone who is in need of a safe place to stay should contact Tameside Council.
Additional reporting by Press Association
