Man taken to hospital after waking up to fire in his Wigan home

He was alerted by a smoke alarm and managed to get out of the first-floor apartment on Wigan Lower Road, in Standish Lower Ground, at around 6am on Monday.

He raised the alarm and two fire engines from Wigan and one from Hindley attended, along with an ambulance and police.

Crews used a hose reel and breathing apparatus as they tackled the blaze, which destroyed the bedroom and caused smoke damage to the rest of the apartment.

The man suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to Wigan Infirmary for precautionary checks.

His neighbours were told to stay in their homes while firefighters tackled the fire and their apartments were checked afterwards.

Crews will return this week to carry out safe and well checks.

The fire is believed to have started accidentally.

Paul Gibbons, watch manager at Wigan fire station, said: "The smoke alarm woke him and raised the alarm ultimately, which shows the importance of having working smoke alarms.

"If you don't have one, please call your local fire station and they will fit one."

A message from the Editorial Director, Gillian Parkinson:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy when you pop out for your essential shop or subscribing for delivery.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: "Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role."

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:

You can subscribe for delivery by contacting us at [email protected] or calling us on 0330 4033004 for details of a participating newsagent near you.