A FAMILY out celebrating a birthday returned home to find their house had been on fire.

Firefighters tended to the blaze in South Street, Great Lever, on Friday night after spotting smoke coming from an upstairs window while they were putting out a car fire in nearby Setttle Street.

Frefighters broke into the property to tackle the blaze which was believed to have been started by an electrical fault under the stairs. The fire destroyed the living room and left the rest of the house severely smoke damaged.

Bolton Central leading fireman Barry Hornsby said: "It was purely coincidental that we stumbled across this fire. We understand the family had been out celebrating a birthday and did not know their house had been on fire."