Neighbours' terror as fire rips through flats - as some believe they have explanation

Terrified neighbours at a block of flats were woken by a fire in the early hours - which some claim was started by 'kids lighting wheelie bins'. Four fire engines raced to the scene on Middlefield, off Keb Lane in Oldham, just after 2.30am this morning (May 18).

Police and ambulance vehicles were also seen on the road. A stretch of the street was taped off as crews tackled the flames. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said eight people and a dog were rescued. It is understood people have since returned to their homes.

Pictures taken at the scene show he remnants of a blue wheelie bin surrounded by burnt pieces outside.

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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, staff at the Daisyfield Inn claimed the emergency response was promoted by ‘kids setting fire to the wheelie bins’.

“It was right in the stairwell and it just went up at around 2am this morning,” one member of staff said. People were evacuated, they’ve only just gone back in now. The flats themselves weren’t affected that badly.

A punter said they heard emergency services sirens. “I don’t think anyone was hurt,” he added. One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said he was woken at 2am.

“I just saw smoke coming out of the window and heard banging,” he said. “We were all moved to outside the pub. I’d just woken up so I didn’t know what was going on.

“We didn’t get back into our flats until around 5am. It’s burnt all along the roof to the other side.” He said he believed someone set fire to a wheelie bin in a stairwell.

One woman said she heard banging at around 3am. She said her flat wasn’t affected, but she was still evacuated. “Thank God nobody was hurt,” she said. “There are some mad people about.”

Fire crews worked at the scene for almost three hours, using hose reels and a turntable ladder to make the area safe.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: "At just before 2.30am today (Saturday 18 May), fire crews were called to reports of a fire at a property on Middlefield, Oldham.

"Four engines from Oldham, Hollins, Chadderton, Stalybridge and the aerial appliance from Manchester Central quickly attended the scene. Eight persons and one dog were rescued by fire service personnel.

"Fire fighters used two hose reels, four breathing apparatus, breaking in gear, a short extension ladder, a thermal imaging camera, gas monitors, lighting and a turntable ladder to extinguish the fire. Crews were in attendance for approximately two hours and fifty minutes."