Kind-hearted residents have set up a fundraising campaign after items belonging to a homeless man were caught up in a fire outside a former tax office.
Firefighters from Hyndburn were called to the old HMRC building on Eastgate in Accrington to reports that ‘rubbish’ was on fire outside the building.
They extinguished the blaze which also caused a window to smash and part of the building to be smoke logged.
Lancashire Police said they were informed of the incident at around 7.20am on Sunday, February 22 and it is not being treated as a crime.
A spokesman said: “We spoke to the fire service and it is more likely to be an accident. The fire involved a quilt and other miscellaneous items.”
An online donation page has now been set up to help a homeless man named ‘Johnno’ and has so far raised nearly £600.
The page, set up by Ricky Wilson, said: “What little he had was destroyed and we’re looking to raise money to do any matter of things with - new clothing/blankets etc - which will be coordinated through Hyndburn Helpers.
“Thank you again to everyone who has helped to break the £500 target, to raise that sort of money in a matter of hours is simply amazing.
“This will ensure that Johnno gets everything that he needs to stay comfy during these long cold winter nights.”
Fundraisers have now increased the target to £1,000.
The link to the crowdfunding page is http://www.gofundme.com/mys0mw
