Cheadle Hulme warehouse ravaged by fire

A self-storage warehouse at the Stanley Green industrial area in Cheadle has been destroyed after a major fire broke out in the early hours of the morning of 26th February.

130 firefighters were called to the scene to tackle the blaze at the Armadillo Self Storage Unit on Earl Road, near the A34/A555 junction in Cheadle Hulme. The scene was attended by 20 fire engines as well as specialist aerial and ‘scorpion’ appliances. Water company, United Utilities, also supplied 10 water tankers to help Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) respond to and extinguish the fire.

Operators, Big Yellow Group, have confirmed that no staff or customers were on site at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported. The company is reported to have contacted the 650 customers who had storage units at the Cheadle Hulme warehouse, and will assist them in making insurance claims for lost possessions.

GMFRS Incident commander Group Manager Cunningham said:

“Firefighters have been working hard throughout the day to bring this fire under control and we have scaled back significantly since the peak of the fire early this morning.

“I want to praise the hard work of our firefighters who have been working throughout the night and day on large, complex fire. Crews will remain on-site as long as is necessary.

“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank our partners that have supported us during this incident, including United Utilities, Cheshire and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services, North West Fire Control as well as the Salvation Army, Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service.”

Fire engines were on-site for over 12 hours in order to ensure flames were fully extinguished and remained on-site over the weekend. Earl Road, passing beneath the A555 remains closed to traffic until March 2nd as a result of the blaze.

An investigation by Greater Manchester Police and GMFRS is now underway to establish the cause of the fire.