FIREFIGHTERS fought for hours to prevent disaster at Trafford Park, when a fire broke out at a pallet warehouse.

More than 100 firefighters were drafted in from all over region to tackle the blaze, which covered an area of more than 200 square metres.

The fire, the biggest the county has seen this year, broke out on Monday morning at GKN Chep, Mercury Way, an open compound that stored more than 10,000 wooden pallets.

The recent dry weather meant the fire spread quickly, creating a blaze that could be seen for miles around.

The first fire crews were on the scene just before 6am and faced intense conditions as they battled to gain control of the blaze.

The heat from the flames was so fierce it melted the paintwork on fire engines and other vehicles parked up to 200 metres away.

Despite the heat, firefighters moved in, placing ground monitors and using hand held hoses to gain initial control of the fire. Aerial monitors were also used, stopping it from spreading to surrounding buildings.

As well as utilising local water mains, thousands of litres of water had to be pumped out of the Manchester Ship Canal to tackle the blaze.

Flames and smoke damaged several surrounding buildings.

Fire service spokesman Ian Bailey praised the work of the firefighters. "I don't like to blow our own trumpet, but the lads have done a fantastic job in containing the fire. The heat is incredible, even in the aerial monitor it is almost unbearable.

"When dealing with a fire like this you have to come to a decision; the pallets were lost and so focus had to be put on preventing the fire from spreading. If the fire had spread to the surrounding buildings we would have had a real disaster on our hands."

The cause of the blaze has not yet been confirmed and a full investigation has been launched.