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A man in his 70s has died and four others were rushed to hospital after two tragic fires ripped through homes in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Two horror blazes erupted just 500ft apart from each other in Bilston, in the West Midlands. The 70-year-old man was discovered at an address on Marbury Drive at around 2.30am, just minutes after emergency crews were called to the terrifying scene.
A large scale response from police and fire crews was sparked after the two blazes broke out just minutes apart. Firefighters rushed to Lunt Place at 2.19am and crews from West Midlands Fire Services rescued three people from the first floor of the home and another person escaped on their own.
Another fire, at a detached house on Marbury Drive, ignited just 11 minutes later – but crews unfortunately found the man in his 70s dead when they arrived.
Fire services said this blaze affected “virtually all of the property” and the home was described as being “engulfed”.
West Midlands Police confirmed an investigation was launched into the cause of these fires but they have not confirmed whether or not the blazes are connected.
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