The tragic death of a terminally-ill Mossley man following a house blaze despite two heroic neighbours saving him from the blaze has prompted a petition to demand the fire station opens full time.
Neighbours Darren Mellor and Andy Harris pulled a 55-year-old woman and the man, 63, from the blaze on Brooklands Close around 6am on Wednesday morning.
However, the man has since tragically passed away in hospital – prompting the daughter of have-a-go hero Darren, Chloe McLeod, to launch the petition to see Mossley Fire Station open full-time.
She believes the reduced hours at the fire station meant the heroic duo were left to rescue the pair from the fire.
Miss McLeod told MM: “It’s terrible that although we have a fire station less than a minute away from where the incident happened, we had to wait approximately 20 minutes for services to arrive.
“Public services had to travel from Oldham and Stalybridge which made the response time beyond unsatisfactory.
“If it wasn’t for the heroics of my dad and Andy Harris and essential support from our fellow residents, both our neighbours would have lost their lives that day on the scene.
“That thought for me is unbearable, I simply cannot sit back with the possibility of this happening again in my community.
“That is why I am asking for members of the public to back my petition to re-open Mossley Fire Station.”
Mossley Fire Station currently only operates from 8:30am until 7pm after having previously offered a round-the-clock service.
The change to operating hours at the station was part of a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service plan in response to cuts of £23million across four years.
Miss McLeod told MM that the male victim of the blaze was terminally ill with cancer and had only been discharged from hospital the night before the tragic incident.
He had been sleeping downstairs as a result of his illness and is thought to have been in the room in which the fire took hold, neighbours told MM.
Despite neighbours’ brave rescue of both residents, the man later passed away in Tameside hospital. The female resident currently remains under supervision.
Miss McLeod praised the efficient work of the emergency services upon their arrival.
“Emergency services arrived after 15 or 20 minutes but when they did arrive they were fantastic,” she said.
“They removed the oxygen tanks, rescued the couple’s dog from the blaze within minutes and tended to the couple until paramedics arrived to take over.”
However, she believes that if Mossley station had been open the tragedy could have potentially been avoided.
As a result she set up the petition on Thursday evening, and although it has already gathered more than 600 signatures, she is keen for greater numbers.
“I am asking for members of the public to support my petition to re-open Mossley Fire Station on a full-time basis,” she added.
“My efforts are made in remembrance of my neighbour who lost his life. We cannot let this become a recurrence.”
The petition can be found here.
Image courtesy of Google Maps, with thanks.
