AN ELDERLY woman died after being rescued from her burning home in Simister, where she had lived for 30 years.

Fire crews were called to the home of Mrs Doreen Don in Nutt Lane just after midday last Friday after a neighbour dialled 999.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the ground floor of Nutt Farm, where Mrs Don lived alone, and discovered the 78-year-old in one of the main living rooms.

Mrs Don was carried from the building and taken to North Manchester General Hospital suffering from serious burns and smoke inhalation, but died in the early hours of Saturday morning.

She leaves a son, Michael, and two daughters, Jeanette and Carol.

The alarm was raised when a neighbour spotted the farm on fire and noticed the windows were smashed.

Within minutes of contacting the fire service, two crews from Broughton and one from Whitefield were on the scene, along with police officers.

Police cordoned off the area at the junction of Nutt Lane with Simister Lane.

After rescuing Mrs Don, six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus brought the fire under control. The ground floor was extensively damaged by the fire and the rest of the detached farm building suffered smoke damage.

Fire investigation teams were at the site for several hours on Friday, trying to establish the cause of the blaze.

Mrs Don's neighbours in Nutt Lane and Simister Lane reported hearing a loud noise, like an explosion, as the windows smashed.

One lady said: "I was in the kitchen and I heard a bang. It sounded like a gun shot or a car backfiring. But I didn't realise what it was."Another neighbour added: "Someone said there was an explosion and the windows were blown out."

But leading fireman Mike Barrett, of Whitefield station, said: "There are no suggestions there was an explosion prior to the fire. With any intense fire you will get the breaking of glass but the fire investigation team will have to fully investigate the cause."

Police say there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire.

Mrs Don's death has shocked neighbours in the quiet village, who described her as "a nice lady, always pleasant."

One resident said: "She kept herself to herself but she always sent everyone a Christmas card. Over the years she has done a lot of favours for people living round here and she loved animals. She used to enjoy feeding the birds and squirrels."

Mrs Don's funeral will be held at St George's Church, directly opposite her home, on Wednesday at noon, followed by committal at Blackley Crematorium.