ONE of the fire chiefs at the centre of the operation to tackle the Mr Smith's blaze mounting around 20 feet into the sky has spoken of the dramatic procedure.

Simon Gibbons, from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, was assigned with the role of incident commander following his arrival to the scene at around 2.40am on Tuesday.

But with smog rapidly taking over the skyline and fears of the fire spreading to nearby properties, including the Warrington Guardian building, there was no time to panic.

"When I arrived we had a fully developed fire in the main part of the building and flames were in excess of 10-20 feet," said Mr Gibbons.

"A structure in the building was also about to collapse."

To combat the aggressive fire, two hydraulic platforms and a high volume pump, set in the River Mersey, to deliver a constant supply of water, were brought in, along with more than 50 firefighters.

Given the danger of injury to personnel at the scene, there was no option but to ensure all safety avenues were implemented to perfection.

"We had two hydraulic platforms at either side and put a crew at one part of the building," added Mr Gibbons.

"The combustion was hitting the Warrington Guardian building and so we had to stop it spreading.

"The fire was developing and it was important not too take any risks."

"We also put in a number of monitors which can be left on the floor and they allow us to step away while it targets the fire - that helps extinguish the fire and is done for safety."

Mr Gibbons also commended the work of fellow organisations in helping to pull off the efficient operation - something which would not have been possible without the unity displayed.

"It was a real multi-agency effort - Cheshire Police and the council helped, the council were excellent," he added.

"We had the plans in place for it."