Woman dies in New Ferry house fire

Aug 29 2008 By Laura Jones

New Ferry house fire

A MOTHER died after a blaze at her home in New Ferry early on Friday morning (August 29).

Olwen Coath, of Easton Road, was in her 50s.

Her daughter Nicola, who is believed to be 26, was also in the semi-detached house but jumped from a first floor window to safety.

She was taken to Arrowe Park Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation and an ankle injury.

Chief fire officer Tony McGuirk said: "We’ve had a terrible fatality.

"One person has been taken to hospital and a firefighter has also been taken to hospital as a precaution suffering the effects of heat exhaustion."

Firemen cordoned off an 20m area around the burning building as four crews fought for two hours to bring the inferno under control.

The property's plastic windows had melted and the roof had collapsed, leaving the charred remains smouldering.

A fire spokesman said that the "very severe blaze" had caused damage to the neighbouring property.

The fire service will send a team into the devastated building to investigate the cause of the blaze this afternoon.