Man dies after suspected chip pan fire at Walsall house
A man has died after a suspected chip pan fire at a house in Walsall.
The man, aged in his 50s, was found dead when emergency services arrived at the terraced house in Dorothy Street, Palfrey, on Sunday evening.
The man is believed to have lived on his own and his death is not being treated as suspicious, West Midlands Police said.
There was evidence of a chip pan fire in the kitchen and a post-mortem examination is now due to take place to establish if the blaze contributed to his death.
Neighbours, who said the man was friendly and well-known in the area, were left in shock by his death.
One woman, who wished not to be named, said: "
"We never expected that in our street. I think he has lived here for most of his life.
"
She added: "It is just a shame really because his mom is elderly. It is really hard, I think it is just a shame, we weren't expecting it.
"We have never really had anything like this in our street. We are a tight-knit community."
Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "He was maybe in his 50s.
"He was so nice and friendly when he was going up and down.
"He was always the one to say hello. He was really nice, such a nice man.
"It is such a shock, so sad.
"He has always been around, since we were kids. He has lived here all of his life mostly, first with his mom then he moved down there."
West Midlands Fire Service urged people to avoid the area after being called by police around five minutes after officers were called at 7.25pm.
Crews from Walsall and Wednesbury fire station were sent to the scene, a total of 15 firefighters, but the blaze was already out by the time they arrived.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "We sent three appliances to the scene, two from Walsall station and one from Wednesbury.
"We attended the scene, but our firefighters did not extinguish a fire as the fire was already out on arrival."
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "Sadly a man in his 50s has died at a property in Dorothy Street, Palfrey, Walsall, on Sunday.
"There was evidence of a chip pan fire in the kitchen and a post-mortem examination will now take place to establish if this contributed to the man's death, which is not thought to be suspicious."
West Midlands Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment.
