Woman dies in flat fire

A smoke detector alerted neighbours to the fire

A 56-year-old woman has died in a fire in a ground floor flat in Camborne.

The blaze in Trenance Road at Roskear, started just before 0700 BST on Friday.

Two appliances tackled the fire, with officers using breathing apparatus, but the crews were unable to save the woman who lived on her own.

The woman has not been named, but neighbours said she had suffered months of ill health and should not have been living alone.

A friend, Cilla Forster, said local people were shocked at her death.

Smoke detector

"She was very nice, but she had problems with her health and she had been very poorly over the last seven or eight months.

"She had been in and out of hospital, always discharging herself, but she was very ill."

The fire is thought to have started in a bedroom which was damaged by flames. The rest of the house was affected by smoke.

The fire service says a smoke detector was in place and it was the sound of the alarm that alerted neighbours.

The coroner has been informed of the woman's death and an investigation is under way.