A man has died after neighbours rescued him from his burning home.
Residents in Cleveland Avenue, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, raised the alarm at around 6pm last night when they spotted smoke pouring from a ground floor flat.
They managed to drag the unnamed man out of the building and he was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, where he later died.
Three fire crews attended the blaze. Station commander Andy MacKay, based at Durham Fire Station, said his officers were working with the police to look into the cause of the tragedy.
The flat had a smoke alarm fitted but it was not working at the time of the fire.
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