Man and woman die in house fire in Nottingham after blaze breaks out in early hours

Two people have died after fire engulfed a terraced house in Nottingham.

The victims, a man and a woman, perished in the blaze in Whittier Road, Sneinton in the early hours of today (26 March).

The property was severely damaged by smoke and fire and adjoining properties were evacuated as fire crews tackled the blaze.

Formal identification of the fatalities has yet to take place and inquiries are ongoing as to how the fire started.

Lisa Thomas, who has lived in Whittier Road for eight years, said: "It is frightening and really upsetting. I heard a lot of commotion and looked out my door and the house was engulfed in flames. I think [the emergency services] were here until about 4am. It's very sad."John Loakes, who has lived in Sneinton all his life, added: "I saw a lot of fire engines and wondered what was going off. The fire engines were struggling to get down the road. All that woke me up was a lot of commotion and talking outside."

Fire crews from London Road, Carlton, West Bridgford, Arnold and Stapleford attended the scene, extinguishing the fire by about 2.30am, some two hours after it was first reported.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Sadly a man and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene."The formal identification process is yet to have taken place and inquiries are ongoing. A joint fire and police investigation is taking place to establish the cause of the fire."