Inquiry after blaze kills OAP

AN INVESTIGATION was taking place yesterday into the cause of a fatal blaze in a flat in Aberdeen that claimed the life of a female pensioner.

But firefighters revealed that, although smoke alarms had been fitted in the building, they were not working when the fire broke out in the first-floor flat in the city's Hilton Drive on Tuesday night.

The 66-year-old pensioner, who has been named locally as Joan Ross, was rescued from the blazing building but died a short time later at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a result of her injuries.

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: "Grampian Police are not treating the fire as suspicious, however inquiries are ongoing with Grampian Fire and Rescue Service."

A spokeswoman for Grampian Fire and Rescue Service said the tragedy had served to highlight the need for householders to check that their smoke alarms are in working order.