A WOMAN has died following an overnight fire at a house in West Belfast.
Police say that at approximately 3.55am on Saturday morning they received a report of an ongoing fire at a property in the Areema Drive area.
Police and fire fighters attended alongside the Ambulance Service. The fire was extinguished.
A woman, aged in her 40s, was pronounced deceased at the scene. A man aged in his 50s, a 19-year-old woman, and 11-year-old girl who were also in the property, were taken to hospital for treatment to smoke inhalation.
Police are continuing to conduct enquiries into the circumstances of the fire. At this stage, however, it is not being treated as suspicious.
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey expressed his condolences to the woman's family.
“This is such tragic news and my heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the woman’s family and friends," he said.
“I have been in the area today alongside Councillor Séanna Walsh and local residents are understandably shocked and distressed, but I’m sure the local community will rally around each other at this difficult time.
“I also want to pay tribute to the emergency services who attended the scene this morning.”
Meanwhile, police have confirmed that two other people have died following fires at residential properties on Friday.
Police were notified of a fire the Queen Victoria Gardens area of north Belfast at around 11.00am on Friday morning. Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service extinguished the blaze but, sadly, a man aged in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene.
The second fire occurred in the Abbey Park area of Bangor, at around 12.30pm. The fire was again extinguished by Fire & Rescue Service, but a woman aged in her 50s was pronounced dead at the scene.
Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding both fires; however at this stage, it is not believed that the deaths are suspicious.
