Large smoke plumes over Wigan as tyre fire breaks out in Bickershaw

On the morning of August 24, a tire fire in Bickershaw, Wigan reminded those nearby how quickly the ordinary can be overtaken by the elemental — thick black smoke rising over familiar streets, turning a routine Tuesday into something that demanded attention and caution. Fire, when it finds fuel like rubber, does not burn quietly; it announces itself across rooftops and through the air that people breathe. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service moved to contain the blaze while urging residents to close their homes against the fumes, a small but telling gesture of how communities must someti