Man in his 70s dies in Oldbury house fire

A man in his 70s has died as a result of a house fire in Oldbury.

West Midlands Fire Service were called to reports of smoke and flames coming from the first floor of a semi-detached property on Defford Drive at 1:21pm.

Crews from Oldbury, Haden Cross, Handsworth and Smethwick attended the incident, with the first crew arriving in under four minutes.

The fire has affected 100% of the first floor and 50% of the property overall.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus are tackling the fire using a hose reel jet and covering jet.

West Midlands Ambulance Service and West Midlands Police are also on the scene.

A police spokesperson said: "We were called to a house fire in Defford Drive, Oldbury at 1.30pm on 31 January."Sadly, a man in his 70s, was confirmed dead at the scene."

The fire service are working with police as investigations continue.