Fatal Wolverhampton house fire caused by faulty fridge
A house fire in Wolverhampton that resulted in the death of a man has been blamed on an electrical fault involving a fridge.
West Midlands Fire Service investigators said the incident was caused by an "electrical issue" at the premises involving an appliance at the property, in Dickens Road, Low Hill, on December 30 last year.
A man died while 13 other people escaped from the three-storey house, which had been sub-divided into bedsits. Firefighters carried him out but despite best efforts to save him he died at the scene.
The brigade said: "Our investigators believe that the fire was accidental and involved a fridge in the room where it started."
It had previously stated that an electrical fault was to blame.
The fire broke out at about 1am on the second floor of the bedsit accommodation.
Neighbours were left stunned by the blaze and sudden loss of life.
Speaking the day after the blaze, Justyna Feliks said she was woken around 1.30am by the sound of sirens and looked outside to see multiple fire engines and crews on the road.
"I looked and saw a lot of fire engines and smoke on the street, as well as a lot of people running around on the street," she said.
"I've just found out that someone has died and it's horrible news to hear about that as these people are neighbours and while I didn't know them personally, you'd see them walking around."
