'Get your chimneys cleaned!' say firefighters after one catches light in a Wigan borough home

Firefighters from Hindley and Atherton fired water down the chimney from a ladder in order to put the flames out and then ventilated the house in Argyle Street, Atherton.

The incident was reported at 3pm on Sunday November 6 and the crews were at the scene for about 90 minutes.

Afterwards Atherton crew manager Chris Spary said: “The lady had lit an open log fire and it set fire to soot up the chimney.

"She had got out of the house before we arrived and she was fine.

"But the chimney hadn’t been cleared out for a good while and it meant excess smoke was filling the house.

"We would advise anyone with a coal or log fire to get their chimneys cleaned before the winter sets in, and so avoid incidents like this.”