Hundreds of firefighters have been tackling a huge blaze engulfing a student accommodation block in Bolton, UK. 

Shortly before 20:30 local time on Friday, crews were called to the six-story building The Cube, off the town-center street Bradshawgate. By that time, students were already evacuating the building. 

At its height, around 200 firefighters were on hand to tackle the blaze, which was affecting every floor of the student block. One person was rescued by an aerial platform, while Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) confirmed two people were treated by paramedics at the scene.

"The fire kept getting more intense, climbing up and to the right because the wind was blowing so hard," said eyewitness Ace Love, 35. "We could see it bubbling from the outside and then being engulfed from the outside. A lot of students got out very fast, someone was very distressed, the rest were on phones calling for help. The fire got worse and worse, to the point where you could see through the beams, it was just bare frame."

As the fire continued to worsen, one eyewitness reported the flames "climb[ing] up the cladding" on the building's exterior. 

After the Grenfell Tower disaster in London in 2017, for which the cladding used on the building was blamed for the intensity of the catastrophe, students living at The Cube had raised concerns about their building, but fire safety inspectors noted it had different cladding from that used on Grenfell. 

At that time, Angela McKinney, the operations manager for The Cube accommodation owner DIGS, said: "When any further legislation or reviews are published we will be reviewing our procedures appropriately."

In 2018, the UK government introduced new regulations restricting the use of combustible materials on the external walls of accommodation taller than 18 meters, but the law only applies to new buildings or to those requiring other refurbishment of the external walls. The Cube was built in 2014.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has tweeted: "If the reports are correct and flammable cladding contributed to the fire, it shows the government's shameful inaction since Grenfell." 

Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson tweeted: "My thoughts are with all those affected by the serious fire in Bolton last night. Thank you to emergency services for your brave response."