Investigation continues into flat fire

The fire brigade believed there were six people inside

Investigations are continuing into the cause of a fatal fire in Exeter.

The fire on Sunday claimed the life of a man living in a bedsit in a property which had been divided into a number of flats.

Another man was rescued from the first floor of the building at Rockside Villas which was fitted with a smoke alarm system that did not work.

Devon Fire and Rescue Service is warning that fires at multiple occupancy properties can present problems for firefighters.

A charred jacket lies outside the house

The fire service were called to the property just after 0200 GMT on Sunday.

The fire was discovered by a third tenant in a ground floor bedroom of the terraced building who was unharmed.

Divisional fire officer Chris Hartrick said he was sure residents would have been safe if the smoke alarm had been working.

The Arson Task Force has been trying to discover the cause of the fire.

Mr Hartrick said: "One of the big issues that we'll be looking into is that this is a house in multiple occupation.

"We were led to believe there were six occupants in the property at the time."

The fire brigade said it was concerned such properties led to a split in resources between tackling the fire and getting people out safely.

Mr Hartrick said: "Several occupiers could be in or out of the property several times a day.

"You have to increase resources to adequately search to see if anybody needs rescuing."