Neighbours fled in terror as flames engulfed house
10 homes evacuated after what is believed to be arson attack
PEOPLE living near a house that was engulfed by flames say they were filled with fear as they were forced to flee their own homes.
The blaze broke out at a mid-terraced property on Oldham Road in the Wellfield area of Rochdale, shortly before 4am on Friday.
The blaze is now being treated as arson, police have confirmed.
Detectives in Rochdale are said to be ‘conducting extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances’ and identify and catch those involved.
A total of 10 properties were evacuated after emergency services raced to the scene and began tackling the blaze.
Neighbours have now told of their horror after waking to find smoke in their own homes and flames ‘gushing’ out into the street behind them.
Rose Heveron, 67, alerted the fire service before her and husband James 86, got out of their home next door to the property where the blaze broke out.
Rose said at around 2am she heard what sounded like ‘something smashing’ which woke her up and meant she immediately spotted the blaze as it broke just under two hours later.
“I heard someone say ‘help, help fire’” she said. “I looked out and could see smoke coming from the window. I looked more closely and could see the flames as well. I grabbed my phone and dialled 999. I was panicking.
James said: “My wife was on the phone to the emergency services when she knocked on said ‘next door is on fire.’ I looked out and could see the reflection of the flames. We managed to grab a thick jacket and got out and the fire brigade were here quickly.
“Smoke was coming into ours as well as it was coming through the lofts. A neighbour let us in their house for a hot drink but no sooner had she put the kettle on we had to get out of there as well as they were evacuating everyone.
“It’s just so lucky my wife was awake as god knows what could have happened.”
Mark Ashworth, 41, said: “I heard a lot of commotion and banging. Then when I woke up I could see smoke along my bathroom floor and the rest of the upstairs..
“My first thought was that it was my house that was on fire.
“But when I looked out the back bedroom window all I could see was yellow.
“Lots of neighbours were coming out into the street and shouting. I put on some clothes and went out. I didn’t have anywhere to go was just stood outside for hours, it wasn’t pleasant. It was about 7am I got back in.
“I’ve had to ring work this morning and tell them I’ll be in once I’ve managed to get some sleep.
“It’s one of those things you can’t change what’s happened. But it was definitely a bit scary. When you’re thinking ‘it could be my house that is on fire and I’ve got to get out.”
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “Someone shouted for help that’s when we looked out and saw all the flames.
“There were lots of them and they seemed to be everywhere.
“We saw the family that live on one side, they were getting out. It was all really frightening. I then went and started banging on the door of the family who lived on the other side to tell them to get out, which thankfully they did.
“One of my kids shouted that there was an alarm going off in the house and it was my carbon monoxide alarm. I told the fire brigade and asked them to come in and check and he said ‘get out now’ and that’s when they started telling everyone they had to evacuate.
“They closed the whole road off.
“We got our kids in the car to keep them warm and it was obviously a pretty cold and uncomfortable night until we got back in.
“It’s just scary to think all our lives could have been put in danger. It’s frightening really.”
Another neighbour, who has a young child and is also pregnant, said it appeared something had been ‘kicking off’ in the area from around midnight and that she heard what sounded like a window being smashed. She said there was then an audible commotion ‘on and off’ until the fire broke out.
“I heard someone screaming for help” she said. “We all went out the back. And the flames were gushing out of the back window. We knew we would have to get ourselves dressed and got out.
“I went to my mum’s so the little one could sleep. It was a good few hours later they let us back in. But they told us to stay downstairs for a while and not go upstairs as the smoke levels could be too high. As it has gone all through the lofts. It’s just bizarre.
“It’s terrifying to think what could have happened if no one had been awake and seen it. In that sense its lucky there was that commotion.”
The Observer understands that no-one was believed to have been in the house at the time. Police forensic crime scene investigation teams remain at the scene along with fire investigation specialists from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) on Friday.
In a statement, a GMFRS spokesperson said: “At 03.52 this morning four fire engines from Rochdale, Heywood, and Chadderton fire stations and the fire service drone attended a fire involving a mid-terraced house on Oldham Road, Rochdale. The fire spread to the roof void and required the evacuation of ten adjacent properties in the early hours.
“Firefighters extinguished the fire and have now left the scene, but a cordon remains in place as the multi-agency investigation into the cause of the fire begins.” Police and forensic crime scene investigation teams remained at the scene along with fire investigation specialists from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) on Friday morning.
In an updated statement on Friday, GMP confirmed the force was now appealing for anyone with information to come forward. The fire is being treated as arson.
A spokesperson for Rochdale CID said: “Understandably, this incident has created concern in the local community, and we would like to reassure the public that a team of detectives are conducting extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident and identify those responsible.
“Anyone with information should contact ourselves or Crimestoppers.
“Anyone with information should contact GMP via 0161 856 8519 quoting log 324 17/11/23 Information can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
There were no reported injuries.