House blaze causes fireball and 90ft column of smoke

4 hours ago

Samuel RhodesNorth West

The fire gutted the back of the house in Northenden

BBC A photo of the blackened back of the house with substantial fire damage — The fire gutted the back of the house in Northenden

Neighbours of a house that was gutted by fire have told of seeing a fireball and a 90ft (about 27m) column of black smoke.

The fire broke out at the semi-detached property on Norleigh Road, in Northenden, Manchester, at about 14:30 BST on Thursday.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said five engines and an aerial appliance were sent to tackle the blaze. The house lost a large part of its roof.

One neighbour said: "I was waiting for a delivery and then saw the fireball." Another neighbour told BBC Radio Manchester: "I have never seen smoke so black before."

The fire started in the conservatory before it spread

A red and white tape cordons of the scene at the fire damaged house — The fire started in the conservatory before it spread

A GMFRS spokesperson said: "The fire initially broke out in the conservatory of the semi-detached house and spread to the rest of the property.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used four hose reels and a thermal imaging camera to extinguish the fire."

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