A man has sadly passed away following a house fire in Darlington.
Yesterday (March 7) at 3.33pm, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) were alerted by the ambulance service to a report of a man with believed fire related injuries within a home on Rockingham Street.
Three fire appliances were immediately deployed, with the first crew arriving at the scene in under three minutes.
Upon arrival, crews discovered that there had been a small fire, which was already out.
Sadly, a man in his 80s was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Crews assessed the area and made it safe and worked in conjunction with Ambulance Service colleagues.
Specially trained Fire Investigators from the Service, working in conjunction with Durham Constabulary, are carrying out an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
Group Manager Chris Williams of CDDFRS said: “First and foremost, the thoughts of everyone at CDDFRS are with the friends , family and neighbours of the gentleman who sadly passed away. We ask that people give those close to him the privacy they need as they attempt to come to terms with what has happened.”
He added: “Tragically, this is the second time in the space of less than two weeks that we’ve been called to attend a fire related incident where a person has sadly lost their life. At tragic times like this, we are reminded of the dangers of fire and the reality that fire kills.”
He continued: “As a Service we work in hand in hand with all partners to protect and educate members of our communities about the dangers of fire and we therefore, once again, issue our plea to everyone to please take up our offer of free Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSV).
“Nothing matters more to us than the safety of those who live in our communities, and we ask that you reach out to your neighbours and loved ones – particularly those who are over 50, living alone, have health issues or may be smokers and offer to help them arrange a HFSV from their local firefighters.
“During HFSVs we can check or fit smoke alarms for free and help plan a safe escape in an emergency, while offering tailored home fire safety advice.
“We all have a responsibility to look out for one another so please do play a part in keeping your community safe by spreading the word about HFSVs.”
Fire crews from Darlington will be working in the area today to offer reassurance to neighbours and provide home fire safety advice.
To book a visit call the Service on 0345 223 4221. This is covered Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm, if calling outside of these hours please press option 2 and leave a message containing your name and telephone number and we will return your call during office hours.
In an emergency always dial 999.
