A 90-YEAR-OLD man has been found dead at a house fire in Malton.

A police spokesperson said: "Police were called by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at about 7.45am today, to a report of a house fire in Fitzjohn Close in Malton.

"A 90-year-old man was found by firefighters inside the property. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

The Northern Echo:

Fire crews and investigators at the scene

"Police and fire investigators will carry out a full examination of the property to determine how it started."

Neighbour, Ann Dowthwaite, who lives a few streets away, said she and her family heard sirens at around 7.30am.

They looked out the window and saw the flames rising above the roofline.

She added: "We haven't seen anything like this here before."

Kathleen Morley, who lives nearby, said they heard sirens around 7.45am: "I thought it was the bypass then I saw the blue lights. At first we just saw smoke, then the fire appeared. It's so sad."

Another neighbour, Phillipa Botterill, who lives on Fitzjohn Close, said: "We were alerted by the sirens at about 7.45am. The flames were coming out of the roof, I would say about five foot high. It was horrible."