Firefighters put out huge flat blaze in Manchester

A fire has torn through what appears to be a block of partially built flats in Manchester.

Flames could be seen engulfing the building and sending smoke billowing into the sky in video shot by bystanders and posted to social media.

Pictures showed the scale of the inferno, which could be seen from across the city.

Firefighters tackled the blaze in Gorton, which started around 8pm, according to a worker at the Mecca Bingo across the road.

The worker, who did not want to be identified, said the fire was put out quickly with emergency services attending the scene swiftly.

He said: "It is a partially built block of flats, I don't think anyone was injured. It was big but it's completely out now.

"The fire service is only a few minutes down the road, so if there's going to be a fire this is where you want to have it."

Manchester Fire and Rescue tweeted: "We're currently tackling a big flat fire in Gorton, Pottery Lane and parts of Hyde Road closed and local area has been evacuated."