At approximately 4pm on Saturday (June 24), police, fire, ambulances and air ambulances were called to Saint Thomas Street North in the Werneth area of Oldham to respond to calls of a fire.

Firefighters then battled the blaze through the evening into the night, and police remained on scene for most of Sunday (June 25), and late on Saturday the authorities formally announced a 42-year-old woman had died in the fire.

She has been named locally as Sadia, but police have yet to officially release the identity of the deceased.

A teenage girl, believed to be the woman's daughter, is currently in hospital being treated for very serious burns.

Emergency services said on Monday (June 26) that the 15-year-old is in "critical condition".

• UPDATE: Oldham: Update on fire on Saint Thomas Street North.

There was a huge emergency presence, even the day after the incident (Image: Newsquest, Olivia Bridge)

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Waking up on Sunday morning to the tragic news and facing the devastation in broad daylight, where a number of homes have suffered burned roofs, neighbours in the area said they are still in shock.

A woman living close by, who did not wish to be named, said she was in the garden when her teenage son "came running", saying he saw flames and smoke across the road.

Also read: Evacuated residents told not to return after fire rips through homes and kills woman

"When I came out, there were people on the street and you could see the house burning and the flames going onto next door - but there didn't seem to be a sense of urgency at the time.

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"No one thought it would spread - those who evacuated just had their phones with them."

However, she said when a woman, who is believed to be a relative of the deceased, appeared and was "panicking and crying hysterically", residents then started panicking too.

Residents could only watch as the fire spread onto four more houses (Image: Waqas Ahmad/Spotted Oldham)

"It was just awful to watch," she added.

Those living locally said two men had attempted to gain entry into the burning home by kicking down the back door before firefighters arrived.

Despite their heroic efforts, it was said they couldn't get past the staircase as the first floor was already engulfed by flames and thick smoke.

Meanwhile, the neighbour said confusion stirred in the street as no one seemed to know if anyone was in the burning buildings.

By the church at the top of Saint Thomas Street North where firefighters used a turntable ladder to extinguish the blaze (Image: Newsquest, Olivia Bridge)

Yet even amidst the confusion, the closeness of the community shone through as they comforted each other and offered drinks to first responders in the sweltering heat.

"It was the least I could do. We all look out for each other around here," she added.

"We all lost sense of time - and then someone said Sadia had died and everyone was crying in the street."

The police cordon contains most of Saint Thomas Street North (Image: Newsquest, Olivia Bridge)

Her home is located within the cordoned area, meaning the family could see most of what was happening as it unfolded.

The mother said she saw a blue tent being put up, and people being removed from the house.

The former teacher also paid tribute to the mother, believed to be called Sadia, saying she was "really nice" and has three children.

"She was a lovely, lovely lady. It is friendly around here so we would say 'assalamu alaikum' or 'hello' when we passed each other.

"She would walk to school and stop off and have the odd chat.

"She always looked the part - she was well dressed and wore things that were on trend.

Emergency services remained on the scene all through Saturday night and Sunday (Image: Waqas Ahmad)

"If I saw Sadia wearing something, I would think, oh that's trendy, I think she worked in a shop in town.

"But I liked that about her, that she made the effort, and she had beautiful long hair.

"She was just such a happy soul.

"You just feel awful about it. She was just like me, another mother who works and is trying her best.

"It brings it all home just how precious and small life is and that you shouldn't take it for granted.

"It's horrible. We didn't sleep as we heard noise all through the night because the fire services were still there.

"Everyone is grieving."

The evacuated have been put up in temporary accommodation and still cannot return home (Image: Newsquest)

Another man, whose grandmother lives in one of the adjacent damaged houses, said his family were in the house at the time but fortunately managed to escape.

"My heart sank when my mum got a call from her friend who drove past saying that houses on Saint Thomas Street North were on fire," he said.

"But they are okay. My grandmother is at my house and my uncle, aunt and four cousins have been provided temporary accommodation by the council.

"We went in the morning to see if we could retrieve belongings but the investigation was still ongoing."

The man also said the dead woman's teenage daughter is in critical condition in hospital, and said he spoke to a nurse who described the burns as "the worst she's ever seen".

An air ambulance reportedly landed at Werneth cricket club while residents spotted others hovering (Image: Waqas Ahmad)

"It's such a close-knit community. We have all known each other for many, many years.

"It's such a shock. Our condolences are for the family of the deceased woman and we hope her daughter recovers and her other two sons as well and that the rest of the family are able to have strength and patience", he added.

Two other neighbours described seeing three air ambulances hovering in the area and said the news is "depressing".

"We just feel really sad for everyone. She was our neighbour - we're just so sorry", the pair added.

Another man, who lives metres away from the police cordon, said: "It's just a bit too close to comfort. I didn't know the lady, but it's so peaceful around here.

"It's shocking really. Fires don't happen here, they happen elsewhere."

The man said he was out in town at the time when he saw helicopters circulating and "thought nothing of it".

"I feel really sorry for the family", he added.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.