Fire building demolition begins

Large parts of the building are being pulled down to make the area safe

Demolition work is under way on a three-storey building which caught fire in Bolton town centre.

The roof of the Copyplan building collapsed in the fire which broke out just before 0300 BST and a number of walls have fallen or become unsafe.

About 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at its height and many are still trying to put out the fire which continues to smoulder.

Most of the building in Bradshawgate is expected to be pulled down.

No-one was injured in the fire at the old brewery building premises, which contains a number of businesses including a hairdresser, tanning salon and martial arts gym.

However, several roads around the building have been closed.

Bradshawgate and Trinity Street re-opened on Thursday evening but traffic lights there remain out of order because of the fire so motorists are still being advised to avoid the area.

Bridgeman Place is expected to remain shut until Friday.

Once all the insecure parts of the building have been knocked down, firefighters will be able to gain access to the site to put out the rest of the fire.

About 50 firefighters were called to the blaze at its height

Three fire investigation officers are examining the cause of the blaze but according to a spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire Brigade, there was currently no clear indication that the fire was started maliciously.

Paul Duggan from the fire service said: "It has been very difficult to access parts of the building to extinguish the fire completely because some of the structure is unsafe.

"However, demolition workers have been knocking down large parts of the building to make the area safe so we hope to have the fire out as soon as possible."