Elderly woman dies in house fire

An elderly woman has died in a fire at her home in Birmingham.

The woman was discovered by firefighters in the living room of her house in Buckland End, Sheldon, at about 0650 BST on Friday.

It is believed she died of smoke inhalation after her television caught fire.

West Midlands Fire Service said the woman, who has not been named, would have been able to escape her semi-detached home or summon help if a smoke alarm had been fitted at the property.

Assistant divisional officer Paul Thomason said: "It was just a small, smouldering fire but there was no smoke detector within the house.

"A fire like that should not have presented any difficulty to anyone and this is another tragic incident as a smoke alarm would have saved her life."

He added that televisions had been known to catch fire while on standby and should be unplugged before homeowners go to bed at night.