Man, 78, dies after being rescued from a fire in Northumberland

Fire crews responded to a fire at West End, Chatton on Friday 10 February at 15:38pm following a report of smoke coming from a property.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue mobilised three appliances with the crews from Wooler, Alnwick and Berwick arriving quickly on scene.

They entered the property in breathing apparatus where they rescued a male occupant who was unresponsive. Despite the best efforts of fire and ambulance crews, the 78 year old was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined with investigations currently ongoing.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Hedley, of NFRS, said:

"This is a tragic incident, all of our thoughts are with the family and friends of the gentleman at this time. Our crews arrived quickly on scene and were able to rescue the gentleman from the property before tirelessly attempting resuscitation to save his life, unfortunately it was not possible on this occasion despite their best efforts.

"Both the crews and Fire Control did an incredible job considering the difficult circumstances and we will provide them with the support they need following this incident. Our Fire Investigation team will be working with our partners to determine the cause of the fire across the coming days. This is the first death from a property fire within Northumberland for a number of years and so we will ensure that we look for any learning from this incident to help us to ensure the residents of Northumberland are kept as safe as possible."

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