Residents have been urged to keep their doors and windows closed after a large fire engulfed a commercial unit in Shaw. Firefighters were called to Mossgate Road just before 5pm on Tuesday, February 17. 

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) firefighters responded to reports of a blaze at a large barn, around 20 by 30 metres. Harrowing pictures from the scene show a tongue of flame rising from the barn to the dark sky.  

The fire service wrote on social media just before 7.30pm: "Our crews are currently tackling a fire at a commercial unit on Mossgate Road in Shaw. Please avoid the area and close your doors and windows if you live nearby."  

GMFRS later released a statement providing more information about the incident.

It read: “At just before 5pm (Tuesday 17 February), fire crews were called to reports of a fire at a building on Mossgate Road in Shaw. The fire involved a barn approximately twenty by thirty meters. Fire fighters used four hose reels to extinguish the fire. Crews remain in attendance.” 

A resident claimed to have heard "animals in distress" and to have been concerned by the large number of emergency crews going "up and down" the roads nearby. 

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the resident said: "We first noticed it around 5pm when outside and could hear popping noises. It's horrible hearing distressed animals." 

Speaking at around 8.30pm, they added: "We can still see the fire, or the orange glow. It's still ablaze. Just hope no one is hurt."