Bilston house fires: Man aged in his 70s dies in double house blaze incident - police probe underway

A man has died following two house fires in Bilston.

West Midlands Police were called out to the two incidents in Lunt Place and Marbury Drive shortly after 2am this morning in response to fires in each property.

Four people were taken to hospital with injuries which are not thought to be life threatening.

But a man in his 70s was found dead at the Marbury Drive address. Police have launched an investigation.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We are working with the Fire Service to establish the exact circumstances around what happened.

“Our officers will be remaining at the scene of the fires throughout this weekend to help the Fire Service with their enquiries and keep the sites secure.”

Anyone who was in the area at the time of the fire and saw what happened can contact West Midlands Police via 101 or Live Chat quoting log 379 of 10 May.

West Midlands Fire Service told how their crews attended within three minutes of receiving 999 calls to the Lunt Place house at 2.19am.

A WMFS spokesperson said the fire affected around a third of the ground floor of a two-storey semi detached house in Lunt Place. The entire property was also affected by smoke. Firefighters wore breathing apparatus as they used hose reels and jets to bring hte fire under control.

Three people were led to safety from teh first floor. A fourth was located outside. Paramedics treated all four and they were taken to hospital.

Eleven minutes after fire crews were alerted to the Lunt Place blaze they were called to a second house fire on nearby Marbury Drive which involved a detached, two-storey house. The fire had affected almost all of the property.

A spokespesron for WMFS said: "Our crews worked in challenging conditions to contain and extinguish the fire. Sadly, a man believed to be in his seventies was confirmed to have died at the scene.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these events. We are working closely with West Midlands Police. Cordons remain in place. Both scenes are expected to remain under joint investigation for the next few days.

"We would like to thank the local community for their patience and support as our work continues."

Our reporter James Vukmirovic attended the scene ahead of the man on Marbury Place being pronounced dead. Neighbours spoke of their shock at the double fire in their neighbourhood.

One resident, who didn't want to be named, said he had been sleeping at home when he heard the sounds of shouting and screaming and then saw what was happening.

He said: "I was woken up by shouting and screaming on a nearby road, so I looked outside and saw the smoke, so I called the fire brigade and told them what was going on.

"I've only found out what happened this morning and I'm really shocked about it as it's not something you want to see near your home."

Another resident had come down to the scene to see what had happened and said he was a bit shaken by what he'd seen.

He said: "I was out on a walk and was told about what had happened, so I decided to come down to have a look and I'm just shocked at what I've seen.

"It's just a scene of total devastation and really horrible to see.

"I agree with a lot of people that it's not what you expect to see happening so close to your home and it's just shaken me a bit."

A local woman said she'd been waken up by the sound of the fire crews and had been shocked to hear of two fires so close by.

She said: "It's very concerning to hear about two fires in your neighbourhood as you start to wonder about what has been going on to cause this.

"I was woken at about 3am by the noise outside, so I looked out the window and saw the smoke and the flames shooting out of the roof."

Around the corner on Lunt Road, residents were also taking in the scale of the fire on their road, which hadn't caused as much damage as the fire on Marbury Drive, but had left windows and the interior burnt and blackened.

One resident said he had been woken up by the fire brigade and had also spoken to the police about the fire.

He said: "I was asleep, but heard the sound of the fire engine and looked out of my window and saw smoke.

"I didn't come down as I live on my own, but I came out this morning and saw the windows all burnt out, then the police came to speak to me about the fire and whether I knew the people in the house.

"I don't know if people got out of the house or not and, to be honest, I'm just in a bit of shock because of the fire happening."