Pensioner dies following blaze at house

A man in his 80s has died following a fire in Antrim.

The pensioner was in a house in the Oakglen area of the town when the blaze broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning, police said.

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire on the first floor of the property at about 03:51 GMT.

Two fire engines from Antrim Fire Station and one from Ballymena put out the fire.

Firefighters rescued the man from the house, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.

Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor Roisin Lynch said her thoughts were with the man's friends and family.

It is always heart-breaking to lose a loved one, but circumstances like these make it all the more difficult," she said.

She also praised firefighters for their attempts to save the man.