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Six rescued from burning house

9/ 5/2008

A FAMILY of six were dramatically rescued from a burning house this morning. (Friday)

Firefighters plucked two women from an upstairs window while four other members of the family were led to safety through the smoke-logged house by officers wearing breathing apparatus.

Crews were called out to the semi-detached home, in Arundel Street, Deeplish, at about 3.30am after reports that a fire had broken out in the kitchen.

Police are treating the blaze as suspicious.

A 40 year-old man, a 10-year-old boy, two women aged 34 and 27-years-old, and two girls aged 16 and 14, were taken to Rochdale Infirmary where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

Some 15 fire fighters from Rochdale and Heywood spent three hours battling the blaze.

They were initially forced to carry their equipment 200 yards to the scene as their fire engines couldn’t gain access to the street because of parked cars.

The home is severely smoke damaged.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “On arrival crews found the house was heavily smoke-logged and several persons required rescue from an upstairs window.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the house and were able to lead four people to safety while their colleagues rescued two further women from an upstairs window by ladder.

“The fire was located in the kitchen and was extinguished by a hose reel."

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4644 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.