Family’s escape from house fire
AFATHER has described how he and he and his baby son were lucky to escape a raging fire which caused thousands of pounds in damage to their home.
The fire, which is being investigated by police as possibly ‘suspicious’, started in the back yard of the family’s terraced home on Manchester Road in Haslingden.
Shahid Mohammed had just laid eight monthold son, Said, to sleep on the afternoon on Saturday, June 23 and was in the shower when he noticed the smell of smoke from the window.
Initially dismissing the smell as perhaps being from a neighbour’s summertime barbecue, he quickly realised to his horror that rubbish and household waste was on fire in the yard, metres from where his son lay asleep in the lounge.
Shahid, 46, who works for an online clothes retailer based in Burnley retail, said: “I stood on the bath and was shocked to see the big flames - I knew instantly that this was serious. Within seconds I got the baby out through the front door. I managed to get to the neighbours and luckily they were in.”
Old wooden kitchen units and household items were being stored in the yard following recent renovation work.
Shahid believes the fire was started deliberately and says his neighbours had heard voices in the back alley at the rear of the terrace before it started.
He added: “One of these days, someone will die - innocent people are going to suffer. I can’t understand the mentality of these people.
“I’m just so grateful to the neighbours who have shown their love and sup- port. It’s lucky I that I managed to walk out with the baby - it could have been a lot worse.”
Shahid’s wife Alisha Shahid Shah - who was out at the time with the couple’s other two children, five-year-old Farhan and 23-month-old Alishba - said her neighbours’ help was a ‘blessing’. She said: “The flames were about half a metre from the boiler. They could have died - it could have exploded, blasting our house and the neighbours next door. We’re so lucky and really thankful to our neighbours - they’ve been amazing.”
Fire crews from Rawtenstall spent over an hour tackling the blaze, which has caused ‘at least’ £2,000 of damage to doors, windows and plumbing.
Lancashire Police confirmed they are investigating the origins of the fire which may be suspicious.
There were no injuries and no arrests have been made.