Police have confirmed a house fire on Easter Monday in which a woman was rescued by a neighbour is being treated as suspected arson. Witnesses said an heroic neighbour banged on the door as flames tore through the house in Bolton in the early hours and helped the woman escape.
She was not injured, but is said to be 'traumatised'. Dramatic CCTV footage showed the scale of the fire, which broke out on Pentland Terrace at about 3.30am.
The fire began in a shed in the back garden. It then spread to the house, causing widespread damage to the roof, ground and first floors.
Read more:
"It could have been a whole lot worse, the situation last night," a nearby resident told the M.E.N on Tuesday. "We were all in a state of shock this morning. It is so lucky she has got out of that."
Today (Wednesday) a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said an arson investigation was ongoing. They added: "We were called at around 3.50am on Monday 18 April by colleagues at GMFRS to a report of a shed on fire at an address on Pentland Terrace, Bolton. Enquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made."
On Monday, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: "At around 3.30am this morning (Monday 18 April) we were called to a report of a fire on Pentland Terrace, Bolton. The fire involved an outbuilding and had spread to the ground floor and first floor of a house, also reaching the roof space.
"Three fire engines from Bolton Central and Bolton North fire stations were quickly mobilised to the scene, and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus worked hard to tackle the blaze in sectors using three hose reels. GMFRS crews were in attendance at the scene for just over three hours.
"The occupant of the property was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm, and we want to take this opportunity to stress the importance of regularly testing your smoke alarms to ensure they are working properly."
