AN elderly man escaped a fierce blaze which gutted his shop and badly damaged an adjoining living quarters.

The clothes shop in Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, was the scene of a dramatic rescue earlier this year when the floor collapsed, trapping owner Mr Kenneth Crompton and three customers.

On Wednesday (November 12) afternoon the end terrace, which had not been open, was destroyed and the flames also spread to a house next door.

Mr Crompton (75), who was apparently in the living quarters when the fire broke out, suffered only smoke inhalation.

He was taken to Bury General Hospital for treatment before being released.

More than 15 firefighters from Bury and Whitefield tackled the blaze.

A rear shop storeroom was gutted as was the front showroom area. The property next door was smoke damaged.

A fire spokesman said investigations into the cause of the blaze are continuing.

In March, Mr Crompton and three customers had to be rescued by firemen when the shop floor collapsed.

They were trapped for 90 minutes after falling into the cellar of the premises. Mr Crompton sustained a broken arm in the incident.

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