Family of four trapped upstairs by a kitchen fire

A family of four who found themselves trapped upstairs by a kitchen fire were rescued from the window of their property by firefighters using a ladder.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said that crew from Rochdale and Heywood were called to the property in Arundel Avenue, Rochdale, just before 4.00am today (Saturday 5 September) to find smoke pluming from the windows.

Clothing in the kitchen was on fire and had been smouldering for some time – leaving the semi-detached property heavily smoke-logged.

Watch Manager Tom Hague, from Rochdale Fire Station, was incident commander at the scene. He said: “There was a lot of smoke and heat. It was so bad that the family could not find their way out. They did the right thing by moving into one bedroom as far away from the fire as possible and standing next to the window while they waited for us to arrive.”

Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the house and extinguished the fire using a hosereel and a positive pressure ventilation fan. They put a short extension ladder to the bedroom window on the first floor and rescued four people believed to be two parents and two youths.

Watch Manager Hague added: “The family had a working smoke alarm which sounded and alerted them to the fire. This has probably saved their lives. The house was full of smoke. As we arrived it was pluming from windows. They have acted in a very sensible way and as a result were not badly harmed.”

Paramedics from North West Ambulance Service were on the scene to care for the family the moment they were rescued and the four casualties were all taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Members of Greater Manchester Police were also in attendance and are investigating the cause of the fire in conjunction with specialist fire investigators from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service itself.