Residents of a quiet neighbourhood were woken up to the sight of smoke and the sound of sirens following a blaze that saw the death of an elderly man. Emergency services rushed to Rishworth Rise in High Crompton, Shaw following reports of a fire at a semi-detached house on the street.
An elderly man tragically died at the scene and police said his death is currently not being treated as suspicious as investigations continue.
READ MORE: Investigation underway after man dies in house fire
One resident who lived on the road opposite to Rishworth Rise told the MEN that she was woken up by the sound of the smoke alarm from the elderly man's home. She said: "we were woken up by sirens at around 4am, you could see white and black smoke coming from the house.
"You could actually hear the alarm from the house before fire engines arrived. I have no idea how the fire started but it must be serious because they've been here a long time."
A small crew of fire fighters, police and crime scene investigation officers were on Rishworth Rise and went to and from the house which was also taped off to the public. According to fire crews at the scene, the blaze was a “small one” that had been “smouldering for a long time”.
Another shocked resident said: "It's sad, it's not a nice way to die is it?". Another person who found emergency services at the scene early in the morning said: "I didn't even hear anything, I just came down here this morning and saw the fire engines. It's really sad."
A property next door was evacuated while fire crews extinguished the blaze. Firefighters remain at the scene this morning and a cordon is in place.
An investigation is now underway to establish the cause of the fire. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 3:47am this morning (Sunday 11 December) officers from GMP attended a property in Shaw, Oldham that had caught fire.
"Colleagues from GMFRS and NWAS also attended, but it was quickly established that an elderly male had sadly passed away at the scene. The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.
"A scene remains in place, with no disruption to the wider area, and an investigation is underway to establish the circumstances."
A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) spokesperson said: "At 4:10am on Sunday 11 December 2022, three fire engines from Rochdale, Oldham and Chadderton fire stations attended a fire involving a semi-detached property on Rishworth Rise, Shaw. Firefighters used two hose reels, four breathing apparatus, a positive pressure ventilation fan and a gas detector to extinguish the fire and evacuated a neighbouring property as a precaution.
"Crews remain in attendance as investigations into the fire continue.”
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