Macclesfield boat fire

A FIRE broke out yesterday (Thursday) on a moored boat at the Macclesfield Canal Centre (Freedom Boats) on the Macclesfield Canal, who raised the alarm.

This was first noticed by adjacent moorers at Hovis Mill, writes Roger Olver.

The owner of this liveaboard boat was known to be on the craft at the time and a couple of locals were soon at the scene. One young man opened the back doors and shouted to the occupant who he could see was staggering towards the front of the boat through the thickening smoke.

Well alight

The boat was well alight at this point. Two men entered the front of the boat and quickly dragged the dazed boater out. The Fire and Ambulance services were on the scene quickly and took the boater to hospital.

The fire was extinguished with so much water that by the time the fire was out the boat was lying on the canal bed. The owner of this liveaboard boat who was reportedly not in good health to start with, has by all accounts lost everything.

Broken ankle

A further Ambulance was called when a man helping to move boats away from the fire scene suffered a broken ankle as he jumped from a boat onto the opposite towpath.

The condition of the man in the fire is not known at present.