A FAMILY was forced to flee from their home after a fire raged through the upstairs, burning a hole in the roof.

The entire street was evacuated as the flames issued from the property in Richmond Walk on Tuesday afternoon.

A family of three was inside at the time. A man, thought to be in his 70s, suffered burns to his head and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. He has since been released.

Mum, dad and daughter have had to move into a hotel due to the severe damage to their home.

Neighbour Judith Hardman, aged 49, said: "My son phoned me to say the house next door was on fire.

"I have spoken to my neighbour. He suffered burns to his head but he was in a good condition otherwise. I'm just thankful they are all alright.

"Anything that happens to the house can be fixed. It is human lives that cannot be replaced. Just as long as they are safe. That is all that matters. Everything else is replaceable."

Ms Hardman, who has lived next door for 29 years, was alerted about the fire when her son telephoned her. Son Phillip and their two dogs were evacuated while fire crews responded to the blaze.

Crews from Bolton Central and Bury fire stations attended the incident at about 3pm.

Families were evacuated by the police and not allowed to return to their homes for more than one hour.

A Richmond Walk resident said: "The family was really lucky.

"By the time I got here they were all out."

The resident's home has suffered smoke damage to the downstairs floor and roof.

He said: "The fire crews had to get into my house. They went in through the back window.

"The floor is smoke damaged and the roof has been damaged.

"The tree at the back of our house was cut down early last week. That was really fortunate because it would have gone up in flames and could have spread to our house as well."

He added: "The family has apparently been to collect some of their belongings.

"This is a close-knit community."

Another resident said: "The family are all okay. They were a bit shaken.

"The police told us to keep away from our homes because of a risk of a gas explosion."

They said three fire engines were in attendance as well as at least five police officers.

About 25 residents had gathered at the end of the street while they waited for the fire to be brought under control.

The blaze started in the back of the house and tore through an upstairs room. The cause of the fire is not yet known. A fire investigation is being carried out.