Victim of fatal Wigan house fire revealed to be a man in his 50s

It was revealed today (July 24) that the victim, rescued by firefighters from the property in Newstead Road, Goose Green, was believed to be in his mid-50s although no official identifcation has yet been made.

Emergency services were called to the address at 4am on Saturday July 23 and found the semi-detached house already well ablaze.

Crews from Wigan, Hindley and Skelmersdale attended and several firefighters in breathing gear got inside both to extinguish the flames using two hose reels and bring the occupant out.

Tragically the rescue was in vain. While the man was rushed to hospital, there was nothing doctors could do for him.

Wigan Today pictures show the rooms on the upper floor badly damaged, windows shattered and the outer walls smoke-stained.

A neighbour said he had never seen such a fast and huge response from the emergency services before.

And because of the seriousness of the incident, meticulous examination of the home was continuing to be carried out by expert investigators more than a day on from the incident.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fire crews and fire investigation officers remain at the scene and an investigation to determine the cause of the fire is under way.

"That needs to be conducted and we would not want to speculate on the cause until it is complete.”

Greater Manchester Police have declined to comment further at this stage.

But they have previously asked that anyone with information about the incident should contact police via gmp.police.uk quoting 549 23/07/22. Information can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity – Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.