Residents are forced to sleep in cars after being evacuated from homes
RESIDENTS spoke of their shock and fear after they were evacuated from their homes following a terrifying warehouse inferno - with some forced to sleep overnight in their cars.
Properties on Beaconsfield Street and Salisbury Street in Haslingden were evacuated by emergency services at around 11pm on Monday night with householders not able to return until the following evening.
Some were forced to sleep rough in their cars while others slept at their businesses.
Suzanne Hudson, who lives next to the warehouse on Salisbury Street with her partner, said the incident was ‘ very scary’.
She told the Free Press: “We were in bed and we heard this massive bang. We thought it was fireworks but our dog was going mental.
“We came down to the kitchen and there was all this white smoke billowing from the side of the building. “It was very scary. “The fire brigade asked us to leave the house about 11pm and we were stood at the top of the street until about 3am.
“We luckily have a shop so we ended up sleeping there for the rest of the night.
“There were two older ladies who had to sleep in a van and other people were sleeping in their cars.
“You could smell the smoke from a long way away. It was everywhere.”
Tom Galbraith, who lives on Salisbury Street with his son Jason Galbraith, said they were both forced to evacuate their house and sleep in their cars.
He said: “I got in my car about 1am and my son got in his and we both slept there all night.
“I’ve never had a night like that before.
“It’s been atrocious. My house is quite close to where it happened but there are people who live closer and it must have been very scary.
“The building is so close to their homes and the gable end wall is very thin. It’s just ready to go.
“The fire service and police did a very good job and we can’t fault them.
“My son had to miss going to work because he was shattered.”
A resident living opposite the building on Beaconsfield Street said: “I was very worried when the roof collapsed. It just imploded and that’s when the building really went up in flames.
“I left my house and didn’t get back in until 2.30am.
“I didn’t get much sleep.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
“It could have been a lot worse.”