A man has been taken to hospital with "quite severe injuries" after a house fire.

The fire happened at around 11.30pm last night, Thursday, at a property on Connaught Square in Tonge Moor.

A man aged around 40 was subsequently taken to hospital.

Fire services from Bolton North, Bolton Central and Farnworth stations attended the scene.

Watch manager Carl Gleaves from Bolton North said: “The fire happened at around 11.30pm last night.

"Fire services were there until 1.30am this morning (Thursday_.

“The cause of fire is still being investigated fully.

"It may have something to do with lithium-ion batteries.

“One male was committed to hospital and suffered quite severe injuries. He was around 40.

“The property wasn’t massively damaged, due to early intervention. It was damaged but it could have been worse.

“This shows the benefits of working smoke alarms and neighbours ringing 999 rather than dealing with it themselves, which has limited the damage.”

“Four appliances were mobilised.”

Watch manager Gleaves also stressed the importance of making sure any lithium-ion batteries are charged correctly and not being tampered with in any way, as they can be quite spontaneous in setting alight.

He stressed that, although not specifically related to this case, any laptops, tablets, mobile phones or any such device with a lithium-ion battery should be stored correctly – not under pillows, not under beds or on sofas for example.

A spokesperson from North West Ambulance Service confirmed that they were present at the scene, with an ambulance and two response vehicles attending.

A firefighter from Bolton Central also said crews from Bolton North, Bolton Central and Farnworth attended the fire.