Woman dies after fire breaks out in a flat in ‘critical incident’

A pensioner has died in Shrewsbury after a fire swept through a flat in the early hours of this morning.

The blaze erupted in a ground-floor flat in Castle Street in the town centre.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 3.30am and residents were evacuated from the flats.

A woman in her 80s was pronounced dead at the scene, while another person suffered injuries which have not been deemed serious or life-threatening.

A critical incident has been declared as emergency services work to tackle the fire and support evacuated neighbours.

Shropshire Council has also set up an emergency number for those who have not been able to contact relatives and loved ones.

The fire is not currently being treated as suspicious but fire investigators at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service will be carrying out their own investigation.

Superintendent Helen Kinrade for Shropshire said: ‘Sadly one person has died in the fire which started in the early hours of this morning and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this tragic time.

‘A multi-agency response has been established, led by our colleagues at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, to tackle the fire with Shropshire Council supporting local residents who have been evacuated.

‘Surrounding roads have been closed and we would ask the public to avoid the area to allow emergency services to deal with the incident safely.’

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.

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