Bilston residents tell of shock as two house fires break out in their neighbourhood and a man aged in his 70s dies

It was a grim scene at the house on Marbury Drive in Bilston hours after a fire had ripped through it, leaving the roof completely destroyed and blackened windows around the house.

Fire crews and officers from West Midlands Police were still present at the scene, which was cordoned off on both ends of the cul-de-sac, while an acrid burning smell lingered in the air.

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The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning, had been tackled by four crews from across the Black Country, as well as a hydraulic platform.

It was one of two fires in the area, with another house on Lunt Road also having been severely damaged by fire, and left residents in the area shocked at what had happened so near their own homes.

West Midlands Police reported that a man had died in the blaze at Marbury Drive at around midday and that they had launched an investigation. You can read our story about this here:  Man aged in his 70s dies in Bilston house fire - police investigation underway

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."