Road closures following Sunday’s blaze in Gorton

ROADS remain closed after a fire broke out on a construction site on Hyde Road, Gorton on Sunday night.

Hyde Road Eastbound is currently closed between Kirkmanshulme Lane and Redgate Lane.  Pottery Lane has also been affected in both directions resulting in access difficulties between Wenlock Way and Hyde Road.

There is no information as to when the roads will return to normality.

The blazing fire resulted in the whole project being destroyed, leaving behind a skeletal frame.

Keepmoat construction have not yet commented on the incident and the future of the project is still undetermined.

Following the incident, police have remained at the scene and cordoned off the area surrounding the building.

The blaze commenced at approximately 8:05pm, and is believed to have started on the third floor of the three-month-old construction development carried out by Keepmoat.

The flames were put out by 11pm after five fire engines attended the scene.

Local residents were evacuated due to flying debris, but were then allowed to return to their homes later that night.

Local resident Hilda Dean from Abbotsbury Close has said: “I said to my husband, oh what a beautiful red sky, and he went upstairs and said it’s not a red sky – there’s a fire behind us. It just lit up like someone had dropped a bomb. The flames were higher than the roofs.

We thought it was perhaps vandals, but we heard this morning that it could’ve been a firework.”

Sean, another local resident, said: “I live on the next street so round the back you could just see the flames. Burning embers floating through the streets. I just assumed it was arson because there’s no gas or electricity in the building, just bricks and insulation.”

Keepmoat Construction is regenerating the whole Gorton area and their latest project has been welcomed by the locals who do not see problems with it being built.

Firefighters could be seen cleaning up leftover debris and hosing down the wreckage and police officers were also present the morning after the blaze to ensure the building remained stable.

By Martina Moscariello and Liliana Lopes