Overview

• The blaze that began on June 1 at a former scrapyard on Bolton House Road has been fully extinguished and the major incident declared on July 9 has been stood down as of July 10.
• Emergency crews, Wigan Council, United Utilities and Greater Manchester Police remain on site to dampen residual hotspots and monitor air quality following the weeklong fire.
• Smoke hazards forced nearby schools and businesses to close and triggered water pressure drops that led to bottled water deliveries for affected households.
• Wigan Council is coordinating a joint investigation with the Environment Agency, Greater Manchester Police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency into the illegal dumping network behind the site.
• MP Josh Simons has called on the Environment Secretary and public bodies to explain why months of warnings about the unlicensed waste build-up were ignored before the blaze occurred.