PART of Orford was brought to a standstill on Tuesday evening when a major fire broke out on an industrial estate.

More than 40 residents were evacuated from their homes after a series of explosions at a set of garages on Norman Street near to Evans House at 7pm.

At its height, more than 70 firefighters from across Cheshire, Merseyside and Manchester tackled the blaze. No one was allowed within 200 metres of the fire because of safety concerns after it was revealed that there were gas canisters within the building that could have exploded.

Two firefighters were hurt while tackling the blaze, one was taken to Warrington Hospital after getting debris in his eyes and another suffered burns to the back of his neck.

For most of Tuesday evening, Lythgoes Lane was closed as was Orford Lane and part of Battersby Lane.

A gymnastics class had to be abandoned.

Residents living on St Peter's Way were not allowed to get into their homes all evening.

One resident said: "The police said I needed to leave. I went around to my friend's to watch the match and went home about 10.30pm but was told I was not going to be able to get in."

As the Warrington Guardian went to press, some Norman Street residents were still not being allowed into their homes.

The firefighters who attended the incident were the same watch that turned out to the Greenalls blaze in October last year.

When they arrived they found the blaze was in a car repair garage and flames were coming through the roof and front door.

It spread to a paint shop next door but fire crews managed to prevent it taking hold anywhere else.

Low water pressure in the area is believed to have forced the crews to use a hydrant near Mr Smith's.

The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, Warrington Borough Council and Cheshire Search and Rescue Team all had representatives at the incident. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.

hcartwright@guardiangrp.co.uk