The owner of a property all but destroyed in a fire which broke out this morning has spoken of his devastation at seeing the place he had grown up in go up in flames.
Paul Moss lived in the property on Chorley Old Road from the 1950s when his father Herbert ran it as a shop.
The 68-year-old has been left heartbroken as he found out it had been engulfed in a fire in the early hours.
Emergency services were called to the area just before 3am after the fire broke out at the site near to the Woodbar DIY store and Ikram’s Spice House.
Eight fire engines were mobilised and crews remain on the scene and are expected to be there for a while.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the police and fire service.
Mr Moss found out about the fire from a neighbour as he lives nearby on Chorley Old Road.
He
said: “It was my childhood home since 1959.
“My dad passed away and he left it to me to sort everything.
“I have been trying to sort it out.
“I left the house 25 years ago.
“A neighbour told me what had happened, I am shocked.
“I was going to open it next year and an electrical shop.
“It was around ten years ago it was last used as a shop.”
A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Shortly before 3am on Thursday 31 August, firefighters were called out to a fire in an empty terraced house on Old Chorley Road, Bolton.
“Eight fire engines and several specialist appliances from across Greater Manchester attended the scene and extinguished the fire, which involved both floors of the house, using eight breathing apparatus, two hose reels, three jets and the Scorpion appliance to extinguish the fire.
“Three fire engines remain in attendance dampening down hot spots and monitoring the site.
“Road closures remain in place.”
Yunus Patel runs the nearby M&S newsagents.
He said: "I got here at 5.30am, the fire brigade were here.
"It was still well alight.
"There is not much business as they have blocked the road."
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the enquiries are on going into the incident.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article