DRINKERS from an Atherton pub were evacuated last night after a warehouse next door went up in flames.

The main storage building at Daley Removals on Bolton Old Road was destroyed by fire at about 9.20pm.

It took nearly 50 firefighters more than an hour to get the blaze under control and this morning crews were still at the warehouse damping down.

A platform ladder helped emergency crews reach the fire which tore through the building. The heat of the blaze threatened to set fire to facia boards on the next door pub, the Rope and Anchor.

The pub was shielded from serious damage by firefighters cooling the building down with high-pressure water jets.

A firefighter was taken to hospital with a minor foot injury after trying to move gas cannisters from the burning building.

A fire spokesman said: "The main storage building was destroyed.

"There was a lot of stock inside. It was people's belongings -- a place where they store possessions while moving house."

The spokesman praised the quick actions of the firefighters which prevented the fire spreading further. The cause is under investigation.