A main road in Manchester descended into ‘chaos’ on Sunday morning after a 5G mast burst into flames.
The mast on Manchester Road in Ashton-Under-Lyne set alight at around 4am.
Fire crews raced to the scene, as police officers also descended on the main road.
A stretch of the road was closed off throughout the morning as firefighters extinguished the blaze.
An investigation into what caused the 15-metre-high mast to burst into flames is underway.
Manchester Road, near the town centre, remained blocked off on the westbound carriageway throughout the day and caused traffic ‘chaos’ in the area on Sunday.
Dramatic pictures taken at the scene showed the wrecked mast left blackened and charred, with debris left strewn underneath it on the pavement and road.
Motorists said there was ‘chaos’ on the road caused by the closure and ‘awful traffic’ from Ashton-under-Lyne to Denton due to other roadworks nearby.
One person who witnessed the scene wrote: ‘Traffic is awful there and to top it off, the best way round, the Denton route, where they are directing you, roadworks and a temporary traffic light system was just going up as I came back. It will be chaos there when it gets busy until police open that road back up.’
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: ‘At around 4am on Sunday 3 November, crews were called to reports of a phone mast on fire on Manchester Road, Ashton. Two fire engines from Ashton and Stalybridge stations were mobilised to the incident.
‘The road has been closed in both directions as a precaution. Firefighters are making the area safe, with GMFRS crews and fire investigation officers still at the scene.’
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to the scene at around 4.05am this morning. The spokesperson said enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
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