Neighbours have spoken of their shock and devastation
Tributes: Eric Priest(Image: Facebook)
Tributes are being paid to a ‘nice bloke’ found dead after a fire at his home.
The man has been named locally as Eric Priest, believed to have been aged in his 60s, with neighbours paying tribute to ‘a very well-respected man’ they said would be sadly missed.
As fire service investigators remained at the scene today, residents who knew Mr Priest have spoken of their shock and devastation at the news.
Police and fire crews were called to a small cul-de-sac off Oldham Road in Royton, Oldham, at around 6am on Wednesday. Greater Manchester Police said the body of a man they said died within the property was then discovered. Enquiries, said the force, were ongoing.
Images taken at the scene show the dormer-bungalow on Marches Close – a small estate that was once Marches Farm – cordonned off with police tape. Fire damage to the roof is visible, with windows smashed and brickwork blackenned.
Fire crews pictured at the scene(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Forensic investigators in white protective suits were seen inside the property throughout Wednesday morning and into the afternoon. A police officer, meanwhile, stood guard at the cordon.
A neighbour told how he would speak to Mr Priest on the street, adding: “He was a nice guy. I heard all the sirens and everything. My daughter lives down the road and she said something was going on.
“I got up and out of bed and looked out the windows. You could see flames, smoke and flashing blue lights. It was terrible. I just knew him as a passer-by, but he was a nice man. He used to cut the hedges at the front of his house and had an apple tree in his garden. He was a nice bloke.”
Forensic investigators at the scene(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Another neighbour said he got to know Mr Priest after moving into a house behing his.
He said: “I used to have a Rottweiler, and he would always stop us to say hello to her whenever we walked past his house. He was always outside doing something in his garden, or on his house.
“Over time he told me how sadly his wife had passed away and how they loved the rotty breed. He said he had bought the land to build his house on. I watched him do more and more upgrades to it, including proudly telling me how he had built all the dry stone walls around the perimeter.
“My wife and I used to watch him climb onto his roof to fix tiles with our hearts in our mouths, but he scaled the ladder and roof like a man 40 years younger. It’s a very sad day. He was a very well-respected man and will be missed.”
The damaged house in the aftermath(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Another neighbour said: “I did not hear a thing and I live nearby. We did not know the guy, but he was in his 60s apparently. It is all just so sad. Nobody seems to know what happened. It is just so sad.”
Another neighbour described news of the man’s death as a ‘terrible shock’. She said she was woken up by the sound of emergency services arriving at around 6am – and told of seeing ‘flashing blue lights’. “It’s awful,” she said.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers responded to reports of a fire at a property off Oldham Road, Royton today (December 3, 2025) at around 6am. A body was discovered of a man who sadly died inside the property. Enquiries are ongoing at this time.”
Emergency services were called at 6am(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
No further details have been revealed and Marches Close remains cordoned off.
In a statement, the fire service said: “At 5.35am on Wednesday (December 3) three fire engines from Oldham, Hollins and Chadderton, plus the turntable ladder from Manchester Central fire station were called to a fire involving a detached bungalow on Marches Close, Royton.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used three hose reel jets to extinguish the fire. Crews remain in attendance alongside partners to make the scene safe.”
There were no reports of any further injuries.