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Two homes go up in flames

Dan Thompson
10/ 7/2008

A NEIGHBOUR came to the rescue of a young man trapped in a Langley house fire.

The heroic resident, 31, clambered up a ladder and helped drag the 20-year-old from a first floor window to safety, according to the fire service.

Heywood crew commander Dan Howarth said initially the cause of the blaze at the Styhead Drive house appeared to be a mattress that had caught fire. One of the five people inside the house tried to drag the mattress outside but it became jammed in the door way, he added.

The precise cause of the fire is under investigation.

Three fire engines from Heywood attended the scene at 11.45pm on Thursday 3 July. All of those inside the house had managed to escape by the time the crews had arrived.

The 20-year-old rescued with a ladder was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Firefighters took 15 minutes to bring the blaze under control. It was extinguished using two hose reels, four sets of breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera.

Crew commander Howarth said the property did not have working smoke alarms. He warned people to make sure they checked their alarms as they save lives.

Fire crews from Heywood, Chadderton and Blackley were called out to Langley again on Sunday to tackle another serious blaze.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at Langley Lane at 7.35am following reports people had become trapped in a house fire.

On arrival, the crews extinguished the inferno and searched the property but found no people inside.

The house was badly damaged in the fire. It is thought it may have been started deliberately but investigations are still on-going.