WOMAN DEAD IN SOUTHWICK FIRE

Fire crews from Shoreham and Hove were called to Albion Street, Southwick, shortly after 6.30am, when neighbours noticed a smell of burning.

The fire was located to a first floor flat and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus forced their way in through front door.

The victim was located on a settee in the lounge and brought outside where the firefighters tried to resuscitate her, but she was declared dead at the scene.

Fire investigation officers were working closely with Police scenes of crime officers on Saturday, to determine exactly how the fire started.

A post mortem will be held to establish the exact cause of death but a fire service spokesman said initial indications suggested the victim may have been overcome by smoke from a fire that started accidentally on a cooker in the kitchen.

Simon Furlong, area commander for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said the Incident highlighted both the dangers of cooking late at night and the need for a smoke detector to give people an early warning if a fire does break out.

"Our investigation is ongoing but it does seem as this if this death may have been preventable if a smoke alarm had been fitted. It's quite common for people to feel peckish late at night but there are dangers of cooking anything when you may also be feeling tired.

"We will wait for the results of a post-mortem and further enquiries will be carried out, but at this stage it seems the lady fell asleep and never had the chance to wake up because of the smoke. If an alarm had been fitted it probably would have alerted her in the early stages, and given her time to wake up and walk out to safety.

"It seems that the fire went undetected for some time and by the time we were called it was already too late to save her.

Mr Furlong also paid tribute to the firefighters from both East and West Sussex who worked hard to try and resuscitate the victim at the scene.

"Their natural instinct is to never give up on someone, but the extensive smoke damage in the flat indicates no one could have survived if they were inside for more than just a few minutes. Sadly the firefighters could not have done anything more that would have saved her.

"Firefighters at Shoreham have worked particularly hard on community safety issues in recent years, and they will feel the frustration that another life has been lost.

"We offer free Home Fire Safety Checks that can include the fitting of free smoke alarms if necessary. Following this tragedy we would urge anyone concerned about fire safety to call us on 0800 328 6487 or visit our website www.westsussex.gov.uk"