Woman dies following fatal house fire in central Leek
The woman, who was in her 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene
A woman has died following a house fire in the Staffordshire town of Leek.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said that they had received reports of a house fire on James Street at 10:30pm on Saturday night (February 24th).
Emergency services from Leek responded to the fire, but required reinforcements from crews based in Stone, Cheadle, Leek, Sandyford and Longton.
Firefighters forced their way into the property to find the woman in her 70s unresponsive in her home.
As well as this, there was a fire engulfing a room in the upstairs of the house, which was eventually extinguished.
The gas and electricity supply had been isolated by firefighters so as not to potentially expand the fire to other rooms of the house and ensure safety for those battling the blaze.
Emergency services arrived to give the woman medical attention - but despite their best efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Fire and Rescue Service offered their thoughts to those close to the woman "at this tragic and difficult time".
Since the incident, the service is working collectively with Staffordshire Police to piece together what caused the fire.