Woman and three children die in Bolton house fire Published duration 8 July 2017

image caption The two boys and a girl were all under the age of 13, police say

A woman and three children have died after a house fire in Bolton.

The blaze broke out at Rosamond Street in the Daubhill area of the town just after 09:00 BST.

A man managed to jump from a first floor window but two boys and a girl - all under the age of 13 - and a woman were still inside.

One of the children was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman and two other children died later in hospital, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

The force said it was currently not treating the fire as suspicious.

image caption A man jumped from the first floor before trying to rescue other residents

One resident said: "It's terrible, absolutely terrible. I saw them bringing people out. They were doing chest compressions.

"I saw them bring two out and then they put a green sheet up."

'Heartbreaking'

She said she was first alerted to a "commotion" when she heard a man "banging on a door" of one of the terraced houses.

"There was just a load of hammering... I went to the window and saw smoke billowing.

"When I saw him after, he had his hands bandaged up and his head."

Assistant fire officer Tony Hunter said the man, believed to be the children's father, had jumped from the first floor window and tried to get back into the property to rescue them and their mother.

He is currently being treated in hospital.

Mr Hunter added firefighters had to use a specialist tool to break the front door down. They found the heat had been so "intense" it had burnt off plaster on the walls to reveal the brick underneath, he said.

image caption A child was pronounced dead at the scene and a woman and two other children died in hospital

Police have launched a joint investigation with Manchester Fire and Rescue into the cause of the blaze.

Det Ch Insp Chris Bridge, from GMP, said: "These are utterly heartbreaking circumstances and our thoughts go out to anyone affected by this tragic incident.

"This happened on a Saturday morning when many people would be up and about and I would appeal to anyone with any information about this incident to please call us."

The fire, which has now been extinguished, led to the temporary closure of nearby roads.

Manchester Fire and Rescue tweeted: "Our deepest condolences go to the family and the community. We will be in the local area in the coming days reassuring residents."