Smoke seen over Manchester Airport runway as firefighters tackle house fire in Wythenshawe

Plumes of smoke were seen rising above Manchester Airport on Monday afternoon (August 3) as fire crews rushed to a house fire near the runway.

Fire engines were spotted on the airfield as both Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Manchester Airport's own fire crew responded to the blaze in the Woodhouse Park area of Wythenshawe.

The smoke, which was visible for around 30 minutes from around 2.30pm, turned out to be caused by a house fire on Mottershead Road rather than anything involving an aircraft.

What did eyewitnesses see?

Mohammed Umar, who was plane watching at the airport's South Side runway viewpoint with his daughter, said: "We were at the South Side runway viewpoint and we just saw loads of smoke coming from the building. Then all of a sudden we've seen these two fire engines coming from the left going towards the building."

He added: "From where we first saw the smoke, it was probably about a good 25 to 30 minutes at least before it was put out. My daughter could smell something a little bit more like a chemical smell. The smoke started to disappear slowly and then eventually it was just normal."

What did the fire service say?

A GMFRS spokesperson said: "Shortly after 2.35pm on Monday 3 August, four fire engines from Cheadle, Moss Side, Wythenshawe and Whitehill fire stations were called to attend a house fire on Mottershead Road, Manchester. Crews arrived quickly and used three hose reel jets and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire. Firefighters were in attendance for approximately two hours."