News Beat
Heroic residents dragged neighbour from Bury house fire
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service crews from three different stations were called to a house on Abbey Drive, off Ainsworth Road in west Bury, at about 7.30pm on Saturday (December 6).
The fire involved the ground floor of the home, and crews were still at the scene on Monday morning (December 8) assessing the damage caused by the blaze.
Crime scene investigators could also be seen assessing the home on Monday morning.
Greater Manchester Police said one woman sustained minor injuries and that the fire was thought to have started accidentally.
Now, an eyewitness has said the woman was pulled from the house after it went up in flames.
Enid Horrocks, who lives on the same street as the incident, called the fire service after her husband shouted to her that the house was on fire.
Enid and her husband were watching television at the time when they heard a “bang”, which they first thought was a car outside.
However, it was actually “the front window blowing out”.
Two other neighbours then pulled the woman from her house, and paramedics treated her at the scene.
Enid told the Bury Times: “My husband shouted to me, ‘[her] house is on fire’. I phoned the fire brigade.
“The bang was the front window blowing out. Her daughter is in Spain, so we rang her shortly after.
“Two ladies next door got her out. She actually got to the front door, but turned back, saying her house was on fire.
“The two women dragged her out, and she was in here [my house] with the paramedics.”
Fire crews remained on the road on Monday morning, with images showing significant damage to the house.
The front window is blown out by fire and smoke damage, and debris can be seen scattered across the garden.
Crime scene investigators are also present in the area as investigations into the blaze continue.
A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At shortly before 7.30pm on Saturday, December 6, three fire engines from Whitefield, Bolton and Bolton North fire stations were called to a fire involving the ground floor of a semi-detached home on Abbey Drive, Bury.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reels to extinguish the fire. Crews remain in attendance.”
GMFRS has been asked for an updated comment on its presence in the area on Monday (December 8).
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson added: “One woman received minor injuries after accidentally starting fire.
“It started at about 7.30pm.”
