AN Unsworth family lost many of their possessions after fire ravaged their home at the weekend.

Anthony and Dorothy Stanley, and their son, Alastair, fled from their blazing home in Sunny Bank Road in the early hours of Saturday (Feb 21).

The fire, which broke out about 3.30am, gutted the upstairs of the dormer bungalow and destroyed what is believed to be a collection of valuable and rare comics and magazines dating back to the 1950s.

As fire crews from Bury and Whitefield tackled the blaze, Alastair, who is aged in his 20s, was treated at the scene and later at Fairfield General Hospital after being overcome by smoke.

A hydraulic platform was used by the firefighters to attack the flames which spiralled from the roof where the comics and magazines were stored. It is believed the fire was caused by an unattended cigarette.

According to a neighbour, the Stanley family were temporarily living in a local hotel following the devastation.

The neighbour said: "This is such a heartbreaking, terrible thing to happen to Anthony and Dorothy. They are a close, caring family and they have lost everything."