MORE than a dozen firefighters battled a blaze at a Radcliffe mill on Tuesday evening.

The incident broke out just before 6pm at FAM Engineering, a vehicle recovery firm based in Holly Bank Mill in Holly Bank Street.

Crews were on the scene throughout the night dampening down and, at the height of the blaze, 17 firefighters fought to contain the blaze and stop it from spreading to the rest of the industrial unit.

A hydraulic platform was also mobilised to fight the fire from above and strip away the tiles to ensure no sparks had got into the tiles which could lead to another fire breaking out. Firefighters from Whitefield, Bolton Central, Farnworth and Salford attended.

A workshop was destroyed along with two cars, a Ford Focus and a Jaguar, but crews managed to save 80 per cent of the building.

The fire was brought under control in about one hour and an investigation is under way into the cause, although fire officers say initial indications point to the blaze being accidental.

Station commander Paul Etches said: “The fire was well alight and firefighters were faced with flammable material inside. They managed to contain the fire and stop it from spreading.”

Company manager Paul Jones said: “I don’t know the full extent of it yet, but it was a small fire involving a vehicle in our workshop. Due to the prompt nature of the fire brigade it was controlled very quickly.”