Two Die In Fire In Northern England

Firefighters tackled a blaze in the kitchen after being called to an address in Ashington, near Newcastle, the Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said.

When they searched the property, they found a man and a woman dead in the living room. Their names were not released.

The house was fitted with smoke alarms but one did not have a battery and the other was not working, a fire official said.

Police and fire services were jointly investigating the fire, Northumbria police said. "At this stage the cause is not thought to be suspicious," a police spokesman said.