Bolton Flats Fire: Cladding removed as investigation into blaze continues

Firefighters have been removing cladding panels from the sides of The Cube building in Bolton following a fire on Friday.

An investigation has been launched to find out what caused the fire and why it spread so fast, with the cladding on the side of the building under scrutiny.

The building had been home to over 200 students.

Students who escaped the fire have been offered mental health support.

Hundreds of students have been rehoused in temporary accommodation and members of the community have donated £11,000, as well as toiletries, clothes and food over the weekend.

Residents of neighbouring buildings had also been evacuated, with some still not being allowed back into their homes

Watch Elaine Wilcox's report here:

Valeo Urban Student Life (USL), which manages the Cube for the private owners, said that Friday night's fire started on the fourth floor and spread to the sixth floor.

They added: "Valeo USL is also actively assisting the emergency services with their investigations into the blaze and is committed to helping with any investigations and looks forward to understanding the outcome of those investigations and any lessons that can be learnt."

The building, which houses more than 200 students at the University of Bolton, did not have the same type of cladding that was a factor in the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017.

But witnesses said the fire spread quickly up the high-pressure laminate (HPL) panels on the outside of the building.

It has also emerged over the weekend that the material was investigated in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.