AN ELDERLY man has died in a fire at a sheltered housing complex.

The 91-year-old man died in blaze at his flat near the centre of York yesterday (Saturday, December 1) morning.

The fire happened in City Mills, a 35-flat retirement home on Skeldergate, overlooking the River Ouse, which is run by the City of York Council Fire crews were called to the complex just before 10am, when they were alerted by an automatic fire alarm.

When they arrived, a second floor flat was found to be ablaze and two more fire engines were called to the scene. Firefighters broke down a door and extinguished the flames, which are believed to have begun in the living room.

Fire crews are continuing to investigate the incident, but the man’s death is not being treated as suspicious.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “Unfortunately a man has passed away in the fire.

“Investigations for the fire brigade are ongoing, but police are not treating the fire as a suspicious incident.”