FIREFIGHTERS cheated death when falling masonry from a blazing building crashed on to the ground where they had been standing just seconds earlier.

Two firefighters were hit by debris as a section of the roof of a former Blackburn pub collapsed.

Fire swept through the former Harrison's pub in Hancock Street, which was being converted into a mosque.

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.