Woman dies as fire rips through house

12:17pm Tuesday 28th November 2006

A blaze which tore through a house causing the death of a woman inside is not being treated as suspicious, police said today.

A police probe was started into a fatal house fire in at a terraced house in Cark Road at 3.10pm yesterday.

Fire crews from Keighley and Silsden attended the scene and forced entry into the property. The firefighters found the woman in an upstairs bedroom.

A post-mortem investigation has revealed that the Asian woman in her 30s died from the effects of smoke inhalation.

Police are not releasing any details of the victim because relatives have still to be informed.

Three fire crews, two from Keighley and one from Silsden, rushed to the scene after a member of the public raised the alarm.

Police cordoned off road for eight houses in either direction of the street which is near Cliffe Castle Museum.

Some smoke damage could be seen to the outside of the house.

Investigators dressed in white forensic suits were carrying out a detailed examination of the scene.

Two investigation units from the West Yorkshire Fire Service also attended to establish the cause of the blaze.

A West Yorkshire police spokesman said: "We were called to a home in the Showfield area of Keighley at 3.10pm.

"One person has died as the result of a fire in the building."

The blaze happened only yards from the Ghosia mosque, off Cark Road, and attracted a large crowd as people arrived for evening prayers.

A construction worker on the site of another mosque being built in Cark Road, said he had seen smoke billowing from the chimney of the house.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "We were working with plastics which have a strong smell or we would have smelled the fire sooner.

"We rushed down to the street and by the time we got to the scene there was fire engines, police and ambulance crews all here.

"It is a terrible tragedy, the family will be devastated."

Last night a spokesman for West Yorkshire Fire Service said: "We were called to a house fire by a member of the public at 3.10pm. "Two fire engines from Keighley and one from Silsden attended along with the local station manager.

"Two fire investigation units from the service also attended to take photographs and investigate the cause."

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