The elderly victim of a house fire in Antrim has been named locally.
Matthew Johnston, who was in his 80s, died after the blaze broke out in his home in the Oakglen area in the early hours of Tuesday.
Emergency services were alerted shortly before 4am to the fire on the first floor of the property.
Three fire appliances arrived at the scene and firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the property and removed the man, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The blaze was extinguished before 5.40am.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.
Police are investigating the death, but a PSNI spokespersons said although enquiries are ongoing, “it is not believed that the death is suspicious”.
A councillor has spoken of the “shock” in the area following the death.
Antrim DUP representative John Smyth told the Irish News: “This is an utter tragedy, and my thoughts are with the man’s family.
“There is a real sense of shock in Antrim after people learned of this death. I would also like to thank the firefighters who bravely entered the house and put out the fire.”
A death notice for Mr Johnston describes him as the “loving and devoted husband of the late Cynthia” and the “cherished brother of Betty and brother-in-law of Norman and family circle”.
It added: “To know him was to love him.”
No funeral details have yet been released.
