Praise for sports centre staff after fire

Firefighters have commended staff at Howe Bridge Sports Centre after they evacuated the building and put the fire out before the crew from Atherton fire station arrived at around 8.30pm last night, Wednesday.

A fault with a light fitting caused the fire in the climbing area of the centre, which was empty at the time.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “The light fighting caught fire and then dripped down and set fire to a chair.

“The area was empty at the time but there were quite a few people in other areas of the building, including people swimming.

“One member of staff put the fire out while the others evacuated the building. The fire was out when we arrived and everyone was outside, the staff had provided foil blankets for the swimmers.

“The staff did a great job and I don’t think they get enough praise. They will have done a lot of training for this sort of situation.”

The firefighters ensured the building was safe before leaving the scene.