Dozens of residents evacuated from Wigan Pierside flats amid new blaze fears

Residents feared history was repeating itself when a blaze broke out at Wigan Pierside flats.
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Dozens of householders fled the Wharfside apartments on Heritage Way shortly before 9am on Sunday April 24 after a fire started on a top floor balcony.

For some it brought back terrifying memories of a major blaze in June 2015 when another fire on an upper floor balcony led to devastating damage to the same block, leaving many homeless for months.

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Thankfully the latest was far less serious which firefighters were able to deal with in an hour.

Flashback to the blaze at the Wharfside appartments at Wigan Pier in 2015Flashback to the blaze at the Wharfside appartments at Wigan Pier in 2015
Flashback to the blaze at the Wharfside appartments at Wigan Pier in 2015
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But given the history of the premises and the nature of the building – which is made in part from reclaimed materials including wood – crews took no chances.

Engines from Wigan, Hindley and Atherton attended plus an aerial platform from Leigh.

An investigation into the cause of the 2015 fire proved inconclusive although it was alleged was accidentally started by a barbecue.

The Wharfside Appartments fire seven years ago was a much more serious incidentThe Wharfside Appartments fire seven years ago was a much more serious incident
The Wharfside Appartments fire seven years ago was a much more serious incident
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This time discarded smoking materials are thought responsible.

One resident, who declined to be named, said: “I remember the last fire. That was terrible and caused a right mess and huge disruption for a lot of us due to both the fire and the water damage. It took months to rebuild.

"Thank goodness it was a lot less serious this time.”

Wigan watch manager Paul Gibbons said: “In some ways this was a minor incident, but due to the nature of the building and its history we stayed for an hour. We stripped back timbers to make sure the fire was completelty out.”

Residents had already fled the flats when crews arrived because the fire alarm had been hit.

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