Community comes together after Whitworth house fire 

Offers of clothes and accommodation poured in from the community after reports of a major house fire in Whitworth yesterday (21 May).

Fire fighters from both Greater Manchester and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Services attended Thorburn Drive, Wallbank, at around 2.20pm to tackle a blaze that had broken out at a domestic property.

Though it’s not yet been confirmed that anyone was hurt, kind-hearted members of the community gathered on social media to offer everything from clothes, money and even accommodation.

Local pub The Sportsman was amongst the kind offers.

Jane Butterworth posted: “After hearing the tragic news of a fire on Wallbank today, if there is anyone in need of somewhere to stay we have rooms at The Sportsman to anyone who needs refuge.”

 

 

A local eye-witness who preferred not to be named said: "I’ve never seen a smoke cloud like it, it was just towering over half of the estate.

"It looked like it started from the garden and just engulfed the side of the house really quickly."

Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service stated: “Four fire engines from Rawtenstall, Rochdale and Littleborough (the latter two from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service), together with an aerial ladder platform and supporting pump from Hyndburn, attended a domestic building fire on Thorburn Drive, Whitworth, Rochdale.

“Firefighters used four breathing apparatus, two hose reels, three jets, one high-pressure lance, and one positive-pressure ventilation unit to extinguish the fire."