A 40-year-old man tragically lost his wife and children in a house fire, in the early hours of Saturday morning. The family were residents of a terrace house on Rosamond Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Zubair Umerji tried to smash through one of the windows on the ground floor to rescue his wife and his three children. Unfortunately, he could not reach them on time.
The 40-year-old managed to escape by jumping out the first-floor window, and was reported to be covered in cuts and bruises.
The victims include his wife Anisha; their two sons, Hammad and Yusuf; and their daughter, Khadija. His children were 12, 10 and five, respectively.
The blaze reportedly started in the living room of their terrace house. The fire is not being treated as suspicious, according to investigators.
Explaining the incident, senior firefighter Tony Hunter told the Manchester Evening News: “[Zubair] got up and then was smashing his hands through the glass of the ground floor window. He was breaking the windows with his hands. He was covered in cuts.
“He was absolutely distraught, screaming that his wife and children were in there.”
When the fire serviced arrived, four firefighters used specialist equipment to break the door.
“Fire crews made their way up in no visibility whatsoever, fighting the fire as they were going up the stairs, and located the three children and mother and then had to carry them down,” the senior firefighter added.
Eyewitness Aymen Mogamed told the Daily Star: “Early this morning, about 9am, there was smoke emerging from the house and noises of shouting. Residents of the street gathered and it was seen that a man escaped by jumping out of the window."
“I saw the grandmother of the kids crying once it was known they were dead,” he added.
Dreadful news coming out of Bolton today. My thoughts are with the family, their friends & the whole community. https://t.co/QpsP8B8oMh
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) July 8, 2017
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, tweeted: "Dreadful news coming out of Bolton today. My thoughts are with the family, their friends and the whole community."
Mr Hunter explained that the mother and children were given CPR, but to no avail. One child was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other members of the family died later in hospital.
According to Manchester Fire’s official site, firefighters and community safety teams visited 200 homes in the Bolton area. They made sure that smoke alarms were fitted and in working order in each house on Rosamond Street since the fire.
Chair of the Fire Committee, Cllr David Acton, said: “Our thoughts remain with those affected by this tragic incident. Firefighters and community safety staff will be in and around the area of Rosamond Street over the coming days, offering safety advice to local residents, but you can help to protect yourselves by ensuring you have a working smoke alarm and thinking about your escape routes.”
The Greater Manchester police have appealed for witnesses, and confirm that the investigation is ongoing.
