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Elderly couple die in flat fire Elderly couple die in flat fire
(40 minutes later)
An elderly couple have died after they were rescued from a fire at their warden-assisted flat in Hampshire. An elderly couple have died after they were rescued from a fire at their warden-assisted flat in Southampton.
The fire broke out in the lounge of the ground-floor property in Rockall Close, Lordshill, Southampton, about 0200 BST. One of them pulled an alarm cord at the home in Lordshill which alerted a warden, the fire service said.
The pair, aged about 80, were both in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived and were treated in the ambulance on the way to hospital but later died. The warden attempted to break into the flat in Rockall Close before fire crews rescued the pair just after 0200 BST.
Early indications showed the fire was caused accidentally, a spokeswoman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue said. Paramedics said they were in cardiac arrest at the scene and were treated on their way to hospital but later died. The cause is thought to be accidental.
The fire started in the lounge of the ground-floor property.
'Severe flames'
Dan Tasker, incident manager from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "One of the occupants managed to pull the alarm cord which alerted the warden who realised there was a serious fire inside.
"When fire crews arrived the warden had already tried to get inside the building but to no avail. We forced entry and managed to remove the occupants.
"Obviously [our crews] were met with severe flames and heavy smoke logging throughout."
The fire service and police have started a joint investigation but the fire was not being treated as suspicious.