Bolton Fire: Emergency services tackle blaze at student flats

16 November 2019, 07:25 | Updated: 16 November 2019, 09:45

Fire crews have been tackling a large blaze at the Cube student accommodation building in Bolton, Greater Manchester which injured two people.

Images posted on social media on Friday showed firefighters tackling flames coming out of the windows on the top floors of a building on Bradshawgate.

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, Robert Jenrick, tweeted to say officials were ready to offer assistance if required.

Incumbent Labour candidate for Bolton South East, Yasmin Qureshi, warned people to stay away from the area and said she would be in contact with the emergency services.

She said on Twitter: "There is an ongoing incident in #Bolton town centre and the emergency services are asking people to stay away from the area for the time being. I will be liaising with the police and fire services to stay informed of developments."

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said 25 fire engines were at the scene and that the building was being evacuated.

Emergency services have confirmed two people were injured in the blaze.

One eyewitness described the fire as "crawl[ing] up the cladding like it was nothing".

Ace Love, 35, told reporters: "The fire kept getting more intense, climbing up and to the right because the wind was blowing so hard.

"We could see it bubbling from the outside and then being engulfed from the outside.

"A lot of students got out very fast, someone was very distressed, the rest were on phones calling for help.

"The fire got worse and worse, to the point where you could see through the beams, it was just bare frame."

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) also said they were at the scene of the blaze, which broke out at about 8.30pm on Friday.

GMP Bolton North posted on Facebook: "We are currently dealing with an incident on Bradshawgate and have a number of road closures in place.

"Please avoid the area until further notice."