A man who died in a fatal house fire in Co Down has been named locally as 62-year-old Jimmy Thompson.
Police say Mr Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene of fire, which occurred at the Parkview area of Newry on Friday.
At around 11:40pm, colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended the report of a fire at a mid-terraced bungalow in the area.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Gibson said: "Two men were rescued from the property, but sadly one man was later pronounced dead at the scene. Colleagues from Northern Ireland Ambulance Service were also in attendance during the incident.
"We can confirm that 62 year old Jimmy Thompson died due to smoke inhalation. A second man was taken to hospital following the incident and remains in a critical but stable condition at this time.
"Enquiries are continuing in relation to the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"We would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 2294 21/05/21. A report can also be made online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."
A Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Spokesperson said: “The thoughts and sympathies of Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) are with the family and friends of a man who died following a fire in a house in Park View, Cloughoge, Newry on Friday evening.
“On Friday 21 May 2021 at 11.39pm, Firefighters were called to reports of a fire in Park View, Cloughoge. 3 Fire Appliances attended the incident- 2 from Newry Fire Station and 1 from Warrenpoint Fire Station.
“Firefighters rescued two men from the property and assisted Northern Ireland Ambulance Service with CPR. Tragically one of the casualties was pronounced dead at the scene. The second man was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
“Firefighters wore breathing apparatus and used 2 jets to extinguish the fire. The fire was under control by 00.43am on Saturday 22 May.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
