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Man dies in fire at over-55s accommodation

BBC A road with three police cars on it. It is dark and houses are in the background. A PSNI officer is standing with his back to the camera.BBC
Cordons were put in place and police had asked the public to avoid the area

A man has died in a fire at a fold for over-55s in Newtownards, County Down.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said they received reports of a fire at a flat in Tower Court at about 18:01 GMT on Tuesday.

Emergency services attended the blaze, but the man was found dead at the scene.

Two other residents were treated for smoke inhalation, but there were no further reports of any serious injuries.

Three fire appliances were sent to the scene, and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus also rescued two women during the operation.

A close-up image of a red brick, two-story building, with three windows on each floor. The bottom windows have white blinds and the top windows don't have any. The top left window is open. There is a tree with no leaves in front of the building.
Police received a report of a fire at the flat shortly after 18:15 GMT on Tuesday

A spokesperson for Radius Housing, which manages the fold, said 10 residents were unable to return to their homes on Tuesday evening.

"Radius staff have helped them find alternative accommodation," they added.

A man and women look at the camera. To the left, is a woman with grey hair, wearing a blue and white floral coat. The man wears a blue knitted jumper with a blue shirt, under it. He has on a black coat.
Bill and Mary Kirk are residents of the fold

Residents of the fold, Bill and Mary Kirk, described the victim as a "very knowledgeable man and a very admired man".

Initially believing the alarm to be false, they described the ordeal as "a bit scary", upon seeing firefighters arrive at the scene.

"We were outside here for two and a half hours", they said, adding that they had been allowed to return to the property at about 20:30.

Stephen McIlveen stands outside the two-storey, red brick fold where the fire took place. He is standing in front of a large hedgeway and is looking at the camera. He has short dark and grey hair, with black rectangle framed glasses, a blue and white checked shirt, and a cream jumper.
Stephen McIlveen was at Scrabo Fold on Tuesday night

They also extended their sympathies to the man's family and said Radius will support the police in its investigation.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor Stephen McIlveen was outside the fold on Tuesday night as the emergency services dealt with the blaze.

He said there was "a lot of worry" among family members and others who were gathered outside waiting for news.

"There was obviously a sense of relief when families heard from their loved ones that they were ok, and then we heard the tragic news his morning that there had been a fatality," he told BBC News NI.