Woman dies in second city blaze

A 62-year-old woman lost her life following a blaze on Brownhill Crescent, Harehills, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Smoke detectors were fitted in her property but she was unable to escape and died despite efforts of firefighters who rescued her from the blaze and of paramedics who tried to revive her.

Her death came less than 24 hours after a man died when his flat was completely gutted by fire on Bawn Vale, Farnley, on Tuesday.

The extent of the damage has meant structural engineers are still unable to fully assess the safety of neighbouring properties and inquiries into the cause are expected to take several more days at least.

The tragedies brought the death toll from fires across West Yorkshire to six since last April.

Ian Bitcon, area manager for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The message we would want to get out is for people to ensure they’ve had home fire safety checks.

“Some of the simplest things can make a big difference.”