Three escape blaze in suspected race attack

Three Asian brothers were rescued from a burning shop by firefighters yesterday after what appeared to be another petrol bomb attack in Oldham.

The brothers' store stands on a street where there have been a number of violent incidents during the recent race riots in the Greater Manchester town. Although police did not confirm the attack was racist fire officers said they were investigating the possibility that a petrol bomb was thrown through a downstairs window.

The brothers ­ Kharish Qureshi, 33, Anjad Qureshi, 20, and Shamariel Qureshi, 15, were all treated for breathing problems at the Royal Oldham Hospital after they were rescued from the shop, the A-Z convenience store, on Ashton Road.

A shutter at the back of the building had been forced and an object was thrown in, causing a fire. Two of the men were trapped in upstairs bedrooms of the property but a third smashed a window and crawled out on to the shop canopy.

Divisional fire officer Roger Metcalf, whose officers were called to scene at 4.30am, said: "We cannot rule out the possibility of a petrol bomb and we are working with the police on an investigation. It is obviously very serious but it could have been much worse.

"Firefighters had to tackle this blaze from upstairs because they could not get in through the shutters downstairs ­ so they did not really know what they were going to find. It was a very dangerous situation."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed the fire was being treated as suspicious.

The attack, in the Hathershaw area of the town, came as racial tension showed little sign of abating. After riots 17 days ago ­ which were the most serious in Britain for 15 years ­ the home of Riaz Ahmad, the mayor-elect of Oldham, was petrol-bombed. A reward of £10,000 has been offered for the conviction of those responsible.

The British National Party won nearly 12,000 votes in the general election, prompting the National Front to consider defying a Home Office ban on marches in the town last weekend. But after Oldham Carnival's parade of floats through the town, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled for fear of violence, the NF abandoned its own planned march. Two white youths were arrested, however, after allegedly being found in possession of a roll of coins wrapped in cloth, bearing the words Combat 18, that could have used an offensive weapon.

The National Front has said it is working on a "legal challenge" to the Home Office ban. An NF spokesman, Terry Blackham, said yesterday: "We are determined to protest next weekend ... We believe what the police are doing is illegal."

On last Sunday's evidence, the NF would encounter strong resistance. At least 300 Anti-Nazi League supporters travelled from as far as Yorkshire and Tyneside to oppose any action by the extreme right.