STAFF at a soap-making factory in Ramsbottom were evacuated early on Thursday when a fire broke out in a ground floor production area.
More than 20 firefighters fought the blaze at Kay's (Ramsbottom) Ltd at the Britannia Works in Kenyon Street and managed to stop flames spreading to other areas.
Crews from Bury and Ramsbottom spent around three hours fighting the fire which started in a mechanical soap-making vat. Leading fireman Carl Bostock of Bury Fire Station, said: "The cladding around the vat, which is 10ft deep, caught fire and then spread to two adjacent vats and also the ceiling of the production room.
"Thankfully, we were able to confine the blaze to that one area which was 20ft in length. All the ceiling was virtually burned away and the flames went through to a mezzanine floor upstairs.
"The vats, which are made of thick steel, are still in use although the cladding insulation around them was destroyed."
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