Four people rescued in house fire

Four people, two of them children, have been injured in a house fire in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Firefighters were called to a terraced house in Molyneux Street at 1330 GMT, to find heavy smoke pouring out of the first floor windows.

Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus led a man and a woman, both aged 35, a four-year-old girl, and a two-year-old boy to safety.

The man, woman and the boy were in a critical condition.

Rescue efforts

The girl was said to be recovering on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire service said the fire was very severe by the time they arrived.

The front of the house was blackened by the smoke and the window at the top of the building had been smashed.

A number of police officers and neighbours were already in the house trying to rescue the family from the intense flames when fire crews arrived at the scene.

The man was in a critical condition and transferred to a hospital in Halifax for treatment.

The woman and the boy were described as critical but stable.

A number of police officers, paramedics and others were also taken to hospital for treatment, Greater Manchester Fire Service said.