King Street building collapse: Fire service update on Oldham incident

A building has collapsed on King Street in Oldham town centre, sending emergency services rushing to the scene just after lunchtime yesterday. Five people managed to get out before firefighters arrived, but two were taken to hospital with injuries that aren't life-threatening.

The collapse happened around 12.40pm on Tuesday, with four fire engines, a specialist rescue unit, two dog teams, and even a drone from Lancashire Fire Service all deployed to the scene. The cordon that went up immediately is still in place today as crews work to make the area safe.

Council leader Arooj Shah has opened a rest centre for residents who've been displaced, and temporary accommodation is being arranged. MP Jim McMahon, who represents Oldham West and Royton, said this is the second building on that stretch of King Street to collapse recently, calling it a loss of Oldham's heritage.

Cadent Gas isolated the supply to just the affected property, so neighbours shouldn't be impacted. But with the cordon still up and emergency crews working through today, King Street remains off-limits to the public while investigators try to work out what went wrong.