Bedroom gutted in blaze

The man managed to sleep through the blaze breaking out at the terraced property in Martland Mill and was only alerted to the flames by the fire service knocking on the door.

Crews were called to Houghton Avenue at around 8pm on Wednesday.

They found the bedroom well alight and a considerable amount of smoke filling the upstairs.

Fortunately the man in the house was in the front room with the door shut, meaning it was completely smoke free and he was unhurt.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus tackled the flames but were unable to prevent the house becoming uninhabitable as the fire burnt through the floorboards in the bedroom.

Firefighters think the blaze may have been caused by cigarettes not being fully out.

Watch manager Mark Anderson from Hindley fire station said: “He has been very lucky indeed.

“There was quite a considerable amount of smoke issuing from the property when we arrived.
“We believe the cause was smoking material left unattended. That has set a rug on fire which subsequently spread to the floorboards.

“The house is uninhabitable. There are no floorboards left in the bedroom and there’s water damage downstairs. All the electrics needed to be isolated.”

The landlord of the property arrived while the fire crews were at the scene.

Firefighters from Hindley station were assisted by crews from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in an operation lasting around an hour.