Woman and children escape Wigan home unscathed as washing machine bursts into flames

At around 10.50am today (Monday), firefighters were called to reports of a kitchen fire at an address on Margaret Street in Springfield.

On arrival crews found a woman and her two children on the street outside the house.

Inside the house, they were faced with a washing machine which was consumed in flames.

Crew manager Simon Connor, commended the woman's quick thinking as she had closed the door to the blaze as she evacuated her home.

"She closed the door to the kitchen and living room which stopped the smoke from spreading," he said.

"If you close your doors, especially at night, it will stop the spread of flames and smoke for around 20 minutes per door.

"This even applies to doors with glass in them.

"We would urge everyone to shut doors behind them as they leave a room."

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were able to douse the flames.

Although damage was done to the kitchen, the rest of the home remained unaffected.