Burglary fear of fatal blaze man

Neighbours said Mr Griffin would sleep in the attic

A man who died in a house fire in Londonderry had been sleeping in his loft because he was scared of burglars returning, according to a neighbour.

The victim, named locally as Sean Griffin, lived at Mallon Gardens in the Creggan area where the blaze broke out at about 0400 BST.

The attic of the house was well alight when fire crews arrived. The blaze is not being treated as suspicious.

Neighbour Pat Collins said a burglary last year left him scared of attacks.

Mr Collins, who had tried with other residents to break down the door when the alarm was raised, said he was shocked.

Firefighters could do nothing to save Mr Griffin

"There was nothing we could do - even if we had got in, I don't think we could have done much because the whole roof was on fire," he said.

Billy Orr, from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, said crews found a body in the first floor area.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus carried out a search of the house, and regrettably they found the body of a man," he said.