Elderly woman dies in house fire

The woman was already dead when fire crews found her

A 90-year-old woman has died in a house fire in south Belfast.

Three fire crews attended the blaze at a house in Moltke Street off Donegal Avenue which was well alight when officers arrived on the scene at 1430 GMT on Monday.

The woman was already dead when she was discovered in a downstairs back room.

Divisional officer at the fire service Tom Write said it was not yet known what caused the fire.

"It was confirmed on arrival that there was a possibility of someone being trapped in the house," he said.

"The officer in charge immediately committed fire fighting search and rescue teams and it was during those operations that a fatality was located on the ground floor of the house."

It is believed the woman lived on her own. There was no fire alarm in the house and it is not yet known how the fire started.