Fireplace embers cause blaze at old corner shop

A crew from Atherton station was called around 11.30pm yesterday (Thursday) to the empty shop on the corner of Tyldesley Road and Kay Street, Atherton, after a passer-by noticed smoke rising out of the roof of the premises.

On arrival, crews used hoses, cutting machinery and breathing apparatus to tackle the flames.

Other News: Fire crews tackle kitchen blaze

Watch manager Andy Leyland later determined that the blaze had been caused by embers from a fire, which had been lit by people who were renovating the property.

Although the fire had been put out long before they left the building for the night, small embers rose and became trapped between the ground floor and the first floor, igniting the wooden joists.

The crew were on the scene for just over an hour. Nobody was injured and there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.