At the end of June, grandmother Hameeda Begum was killed in an arson attack on the family home in Great Lever in Bolton. Her daughter Saima and one of the firefighters who courageously tried to rescue her - FF Steve Morris - remain in hospital after suffering serious injuries. Her granddaughter Alana Mian, who was just four years old, sadly died last week.
At my first meeting of the Fire Authority, Authority Members were briefed on this horrific incident (at the time the fire was being treated as “suspicious”) and shown what was left of FF Morris’s clothes. It was extremely sobering and a real reminder of the risks that our firefighters take to protect the public every time they clock on for a shift.
Two of the other firefighters involved in the brave rescue attempts hail from the Worsley area, and this week they have spoken out in the hope that more witnesses will come forward to aid the police. If you can help the police with their enquiries about this horrific crime, please contact the police on 0161 856 2197.
Curse Of Gnome - Blogging Edition
Since I nominated my top ten political blogs last week, no fewer than three of them seem to have gone to ground. A sort of “blogging curse” similar to Private Eye’s Curse of Gnome, perhaps, although I somehow doubt my mystical powers extend that far.