Firefighters attacked
FIREFIGHTERS were pelted with stones and bricks by a gang of yobs as they battled a blaze which destroyed a shop in Cheetham Hill.
Around 30 firefighters from Gorton and north Manchester turned out to tackle the fire at In Store on Cheetham Hill Road.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire Service said it was only down to "extreme luck" that an officer was not seriously injured in the barrage of stones thrown by the thugs.
Ged Higgins, Greater Manchester Fire Service station commander, condemned the attack during the fire last weekend.
He said: "This type of behaviour is not acceptable in any society and, unfortunately, it's something that is on the increase."
Three women, believed to be store employees, were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene of the fire but declined hospital treatment. An investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched.
There have been 350 incidents involving attacks on firefighters in Greater Manchester over the last two years.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service have been working on various initiatives to tackle acts of aggression on firefighters and other types of anti-social behaviour.
Firefighters say that the recent Firefly scheme, which has been working with young people to give them training in basic firefighting skills and educate them about the dangers of arson and hoax calls, has reduced attacks on firefighters by 55 per cent within the borough.
Another initiative has been to fit CCTV cameras to fire engines in Greater Manchester to help reduce attacks on crews. Ged Higgins said: "Where we have video footage of attacks on firefighters it will be used in a prosecution. It has been used to secure convictions where youths have been caught attacking firefighters in the past."