UK city where a fire has been burning underground for two years
A fire has been burning underneath a major UK city for the past two years. The blaze, underneath Leigh in Manchester, is caused by left over colliery spoil from the area's industrial past.
It has been burning under Green Lane since 2021, but there is now a plan to extinguish it altogether. From mid-August, work will begin on the site to put out the fire's two main hotspots, Manchester Evening News said.
Aidan Thatcher, director of place at Wigan council, said: "I really want to reassure everyone that there continues to pose no risk to the homes near to the underground fire, either from the fire itself or from the planned trial. We want to be proactive in tackling the underground fire and ensure it continues to present no risk, and to reduce the impact it is having on the local woodland."
Gavin Campbell, service director at Wardell Armstrong LLP, who are working alongside the council and Landfill projects, said: "Wigan council have commissioned us as specialists to carry out this trial injection grouting within a small area of smouldering colliery spoil in Queensway Tip in Leigh. The work involves the placement of small quantities of a liquid grout to control and extinguish the fire.
It has been burning under Green Lane since 2021 (Google Street View)"In the past, tip fires in the borough have been remediated by excavation, cooling and replacement. The trial will not involve significant excavations and should have minimal environmental impact.
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"The site working area will be secured during the trial to ensure the safety of members of the public, with appropriate warning signs posted. If the grouting trial is successful it could provide a quicker, cheaper and more sustainable method to extinguish the subsurface smouldering fill beneath a small part of the site."
Phillip Mellor, Leigh station manager, said: "Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are pleased to be working alongside Wigan council and partners to help address the legacy sub-surface fire at Queensway in Leigh. We have attended the site with Wigan council and the upcoming works further demonstrate the council’s commitment to address the fire and will help pave the way to a long-term solution."
Some trees will need to be felled, but most of those impacted will already be dead due to the impact of the fire and heat. August marks the end of the nesting season so the team does not expect to encounter nesting birds, but all areas will be checked.
Mr Thatcher added: “After this three-week trial, we will evaluate how well it has worked and see if it’s something we think we could successfully do across the wider site. This site continues to be closed to the public and we’d like to remind everyone to not enter the site, for the safety and the safety of those carrying out these works. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
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