Wigan House Fire
13 May 2008
At 0654 hrs on Monday 13th May 2008, the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service emergency control room received a call from a woman reporting that her smoke alarm had woken her and there was smoke in the house and she was trapped upstairs. Crews from Wigan Fire Station were immediately mobilised to the mid-terraced house on Schofield Lane in Wigan whilst the emergency control operator continued to speak to the woman for several minutes to reassure and support her. It was apparent that her five month-old son was in the rear bedroom, and she was advised to go into that room, close the door and block the gap at the bottom with clothes or bedding and open the window if safe. Fire crews on their way to the incident were then told where in the house the woman and her baby were.
The first fire engine arrived on scene in six minutes and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus quickly located the woman and led the both of them to safety. The fire involved a tumble dryer and caused some damage to the kitchen of the house.
Crews from Wigan Fire Station have previously carried out a Home Fire Risk Assessment at this property and fitted smoke alarms, which proved their worth in this case as they may well have saved two lives.