Fire on altar causes £50,000 worth of damage to Victorian church
A CHURCH altar caught fire when a blaze ripped through the Victorian building on Sunday afternoon.
The blaze was started by an electrical fault and spread from the wall to the roof, across wood panelling along the altar and the pulpit.
Statues, carpets, walls, the sound and lighting system were also damaged in the fire broke out at Holy Infant and St Anthony’s Parish in Bolton.
But the priest’s quick-thinking actions meant the fire was quickly contained.
Fr Billy Molloy ran into the church on Baxendale Street and battled the smoke using a fire extinguisher when he got a knock on the door to warn him about the blaze.
He said he felt ‘sick’ when he went in to assess the smoke damage the next day, saying it feels like they are ‘back to square one’ after spending £300,000 on repairs 18 months ago.
Early estimates from the church committee put the cost of damage at about £50,000.
Father Billy said: “When I got in I felt sick. Another five minutes and it could have been a lot worse – people could have been hurt.
“Members of the congregation came in on Monday morning and were crying.
“There are a lot of warmhearted people in the parish. They have been very supportive.”
Three fire engines from Bolton Central and Bolton North were called to the scene at about 2pm.
Six firefighters took 90 minutes to deal with the fire.
A post on the Manchester Fire website said: “At 1.58pm three fire engines from Bolton Central and Bolton North attended a fire involving the main hall and roof of a church in Baxendale Street, Bolton.
“Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reels and two positive pressure ventilation fans to extinguish the fire.
“Crews were in attendance for an hour and a half.”