Man in 70s dies in Tyrone house fire

A man in his 70s has been killed in a house fire in Co Tyrone.

He was the only person inside a wooden mobile home which caught alight during the early hours of this morning.

Up to 20 firefighters from Omagh, Pomeroy and Newtownstewart were called to the scene at Streefe Road – seven miles east of Omagh – just after 1.45am.

“When we got there it was well alight – in fact it was about three-quarters gone,” said said Eamon McGrath, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service district commander.

“We spent about 10 minutes extinguishing the flames and then began a search to see if we could locate the person.

“Unfortunately, we did locate him but it was too late.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the fire service and police.

It is understood a smoke alarm had been fitted to the mobile home unit but, it is not known whether the warning device was rendered useless by the ferocity and speed with which the blaze took hold.

It is believed the elderly man’s family lived nearby.