AS many as 100 firefighters from around the north west have been called to tackle a major blaze near Longridge.

The fire at Recycling Lives, which broke out at around 9.40pm yesterday, has left crews in East Lancashire 'tied up'.

Vigilance by the public has now been urged after the risk of wildfires breaking out was deemed to be 'extreme'.

A Lancashire Fire and Rescue service spokesman said: "We still have a lot of resources tied up at the fire in Preston. Be extra careful today."

Firefighters from across the region were called to the recycling yard, in Longridge Road, which is the main route used by commuters heading to Preston.

When they arrived, they found a 30m x 20m pile of cars waiting to be recycled well alight.

A spokesman said: "Firefighters managed to contain the fire from spreading to other piles of recycling and equipment which is vital to the work of the recycling company.

"As the fire grew in size, 15 fire engines and other specialist equipment from across the county were called.

"This included aerial ladder platforms, a command unit and foam pods."

Workers from Lancashire Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, North West Ambulance Service, and United Utilities were also on hand to help.

The fire continued to burn this morning and, at 5am, 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters were still dealing with it.

Crews are expected to remain there throughout the day.

An initial investigation into the cause of the fire began overnight.

Two wildfires broke out across East Lancashire within the space of 12 hours on Wednesday, including a two square mile blaze above Darwen, and another above Bacup.