A BIRD which built a nest inside an extractor fan could have caused a blaze in a house in Bolton.

Firefighters were called to the semi-detached home in Ashworth Lane, Sharples, at 9.11am this morning after reports of a fire in the top corner of the bathroom.

A hose was used to extinguish the smouldering fan before firefighters used specialist equipment to blow smoke from the first floor of the house.

The fire could have been sparked after the fan overheated when a bird got into it from the outside of the house, and built a nest.

However, firefighters said it also could have been due to an electrical short circuit.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "It was more difficult to make sure the fire was out because the bird was in the wall cavity."