Leigh family rescued from house fire in Gregory Street

Fire crews from Leigh, Atherton and Hindley were called to Gregory Street at 1.25am today, Sunday, after reports that people were trapped inside the terraced home.

Neighbours rescued three children from the burning building however a man, woman and another child were trapped in the upstairs bedroom while the fire developed in the kitchen below.

The 29-year-old woman and child were rescued by firefighters from the front bedroom while the 29-year-old man was led to safety down the stairs by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.

A fire service spokesman said: "Neighbours had already rescued three children from the property before the fire service had arrived, two via a ladder pitched to the window and one grabbed from inside the property.

"The fire crews in breathing apparatus quickly extinguished the fire in the kitchen using two hose reel jets and administered oxygen therapy to all the casualties."

All family members were taken to Wigan Infirmary suffering from smoke inhalation to undergo further observation and treatment.

The house was heavily smoke damaged as a result of the fire, which had started as a result of a chip pan being left unattended on the cooker.

The spokesman added: "There was a smoke alarm in the premises which raised the alarm however it was incorrectly positioned on the wall instead of the ceiling. This incident could have so easily ended in tragedy.".

Fire crews will be available in the area over the next few days offering free home fire safety advice to worried neighbours and residents.