Firefighters urge residents to not burn waste after garden fires damage houses

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is urging people to not burn household waste in their gardens after houses were damaged in two separate fires yesterday.

Firefighters were called at around 12.15pm yesterday (April 20) to Copthorne Drive in Bolton to reports of someone burning rubbish, which had then got out of control. It is believed the rubbish fire spread to a nearby shed and fencing before spreading to the guttering of three nearby houses. The fire then spread to the roofs of the three properties, causing one to collapse.  

At the height of the fire seven fire engines and an aerial appliance were on the scene. Firefighters spent around four hours tackling the fire.

GMFRS is urging residents not to burn household waste in their gardens because of the risk they pose in spreading to nearby properties.

In a separate incident yesterday, firefighters were called shortly before 3pm to Eldon Street in Bury to reports of a fire involving a quantity of rubbish in a backyard. The rubbish fire is believed to have got out of control and spread to the ground, first and second floor of a nearby property.

The fire damaged the exterior of the building as well as the kitchen, backdoor and dining room. Three fire engines attended and were on the scene for around one hour.

GMFRS Head of Prevention, Area Manager Paul Fearnhead, said: “These incidents highlight all too clearly the dangers of burning rubbish in your garden. While fortunately nobody was hurt in either fire, they have caused extensive damage to nearby properties.

“We are urging everyone in Greater Manchester to not burn household waste in their gardens because of the risk of the fire spreading. In addition to this, please do make sure you are storing all your waste and recycling safely by following our advice.”

You can find advice on storing waste and recycling safely here.

21/04/2020 15:12 PM