A man is fighting for his life in hospital after emerging from a flat fire engulfed in flames.
Firefighters rushed to the scene of the blaze at a first floor flat in Kestrel Drive, Bury , at 1.55am.
Eyewitnesses at the scene say they saw a man emerge from the property 'fully in flames'.
They added: "Flames were coming out of the windows. The property looked totally damaged.
A man, said to be in his late 20s, was taken to hospital and is in a critical condition.
Fire crews managed to put the blaze out within 30 minutes, but the house has been left with extensive damage.
Pictures: Fire crews and police at the scene of the house fire on Saturday morning
An investigation has been launched into what caused the blaze, but police say it is not being treated as suspicious at this stage.
Fire crews are expected to remain at the scene throughout the day.
Steve Wilcock, watch manager at Bury Fire Station, said: "We were called to a fire at a domestic property in Kestrel Drive, Bury, at 1.55am.
"We used breathing apparatus, hose reels and specialist fans to deal with a fire that was quite punishing, but we brought it under control.
"Three appliances from Bury, Whitefield and Heywood attended the scene.
"One man was transferred to hospital critically injured."
He was the only person in the property at the time.
The flat was taped off on Saturday morning, with neighbours expressing shock at what had happened.
Neighbours Carla Cooke and her partner Dave McLoughlin say they tried to help the man after hearing his screams.
Ms Cooke said: "We opened the door to let the dogs out and I heard screaming.
"We went out and saw him on fire and rolling on the grass outside his house."
Mr McLoughlin tried to beat down the flames using a slipper, while Ms Cooke ran back into her house to grab a bucket of water to throw over the man.
Ms Cooke added: "His skin was all burned, it was horrifying.
"We were trying to keep him awake before the paramedics arrived."
Another neighbour said he was awoken by screams and looked out of his window to see the man on flames.
He added: "I have never seen anything like that in my life. I was shaking like mad."
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